Harry amongst the Wolves
by Drakenn
Summary: Warp is an unpredictable thing and what if a bit of an accidental magic sent Harry thirty-eight thousand years forward, to Holy Terra and from there into the paws of Space Wolves Adeptus Astartes chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – An idea appeared in my mind and nagged me long enough to put it onto paper, Harry gets moved into Warhammer 40k universe and gets spotted by the Wolves. What will follow is insane, crazy and generally grimdark with few bright beams of light.**

 **o-0-o**

Ragnar Blackmane looked around the familiar throne room of the House of Belisarius, since the last time he was here not much had changed. His eyes slipped over the faces of the courtiers and relatives of the Celestarch when they were stopped by a small boy hiding behind one of her courtiers. He had pitch black hair, eyes as green as emeralds and a lightning bolt scar marred his forehead. Ragnar chased away thoughts about the boy and focused on the Celestarch. "The mission is done and all of the traitors are dead," he said with a slight bow of his head.

"Thank you, Ragnar Blackmane," she said. "You once again helped my house even if you weren't bound by your oaths."

"We always help our allies when they are in need and our oaths to the Emperor put a lot of weight on helping civilians of the Imperium," Ragnar smoothly replied.

"Indeed," the Celestarch nodded with a smile. "Last time when I was thanking you, you received a blade from me. This time you can ask for whatever you want and it will be given to you."

Ragnar found himself at lack of words for a long time before he finally shook his head and his mind snapped back into action. He glanced to his side at his old mentor and advisor, Wolf Priest Ranek Icewalker and with a couple of quick hand signs exchanged messages. The old Priest looked at him and then slowly nodded at what Ragnar smiled. "Lady Celestarch," Ragnar said slowly, perfectly pronouncing each letter. "I would like to ask for an aspirant." Gasps of shock and surprise rippled across the room at those words. "I'm aware that this thing hadn't happened for a very long time and that my chapter almost always choose its recruits from Fenris. However I and my Wolf Priest agree that you have a person that's worth ascending into our ranks."

For a long moment there was complete silence, so complete that even Ragnar's superhumanly keen senses couldn't pick up any noise that was made by humans. He glanced at his personal guard, ten of them, all clad in Terminator Armor and he could tell they were as surprised as everybody else was. However they hid it much better and simply looked at him, guarding his flanks and ensuring that nothing would happen to him.

"I gave my word that you will receive whatever you ask for and I will upheld it," the Celestarch said. "If you can find one who you think is worthy of joining the Sons of Russ you can take him."

Ragnar smiled and glanced at Ranek. "Do you think about the same one I'm thinking about?"

"Black of hair, green of eyes and a scar that's a mark of greatness?" Ranek asked and added with a chuckle. "Or does my old senses start to fail me."

"They don't fail you, yet, old friend," Ragnar said and looked at the Celestarch. "That's the one we think is worthy of joining us."

She nodded and clapped her hands, twice. "Everybody excluding Harald, leave us," she said and courtiers quickly got out of the room. Leaving just the Space Wolves, her and the boy. Once everybody was outside, she turned to look at the boy. "The choice is yours, I accepted you to my house and gave you everything you need, but I won't make a decision for you."

The boy was silent for a long moment, it was obvious he was thinking deeply, but then he nodded and looked at her. "I wish to join them," he said quietly. "My Lady, I wish to join the Space Wolves," he repeated himself after a moment, loud enough for everybody to hear him."

"Very well," the Celestarch said. "He wants to join you and I won't stop him."

Ragnar nodded and motioned for the boy to walk closer to him, he smiled when he saw the boy move unsure and be a bit afraid of him. Every Space Wolf causes that in humans, they were massive and clad in a full-body power armor. "What's your name, child?" Ragnar asked, kneeling in front of the child and letting him see his face more easily.

"Harald, m'lord," the child said.

"A good name," Ragnar said. "How old are you?"

"Eleven years old."

Ragnar nodded and and straightened himself before placing his hand on child's shoulder. "Come with us and we will make a Space Wolf out of you," he said and glanced at Ranek before changing the language. "I want you to explain everything that can be safely explained to him and find some quarter for him on our ship."

Ranek nodded and Ragnar gently nudged the kid who quickly walked to Ranek who certainly looked less scary and more friendly. As they walked out of the throne room and walked to a Stormwolf that awaited them Ragnar started to feel the headache grow on him. He would need to explain this to the Great Wolf and get the rest of the chapter to behave. He felt as if it was the right time to start using favors he gathered over the years of his service as he had a feeling this child could shake the Imperium and do in the good way and that meant bending the rules a bit, not that many cared about them among the ranks of the Wolves. He felt servomotors of his armor hum quietly as he walked and thought about the future, in the air there was something growing and he couldn't tell what it was.

"Is it wise to take that child?" Hrolf, one of his Wolf Guard asked.

Ragnar looked at him and bared his fangs. "Wyrd of that child is weird and Ranek thinks we should take him, so we will take him."

"The Great Wolf..."

"The Great Wolf is mine problem," Ragnar said roughly. "I will convince him that this one should be admitted into our ranks. I'm a Wolf Lord and I have my authority and autonomy and I didn't break any law."

Guards grumbled, but nodded, yet moments later all of them tensed and reached for their weapons. At the same time Ragnar's nostrils entered scent of a group he hoped to avoid, the Inquisition. His eyes scanned the corridor ahead of them and there he saw it, a petite woman walking towards them, a sword slung over her shoulder and between her breast hanging a symbol of the Inquisition. A stylized letter I with a skull in the middle.

"You have no interest here, Inquisitor," Ragnar snarled as he glanced at Ranek and nodded when he saw his friend move between that boy and this annoyance. "I'm here as I was summoned by the Celestarch and Navis Nobilitae are an independent structure within the Imperium."

Inquisitor smiled and walked closer, Ragnar glared at his guards, he saw them eager to pounce onto her, he wanted to do the same, but he also could tell that she played the game. A game to unsettle and catch him off-guard.

"What is that child hidden behind your Chaplain?" the Inquisitor asked and Ragnar's eyes narrowed. "Your chapter doesn't recruit from this world and seeks aspirants on the Death World of Fenris."

"He is a payment from the Celestarch," Ragnar said, his eyes dangerously narrowed and his fangs revealed in a menacing snarl. "Iquisitor, you hold no authority over me and if we want to avoid spilling your blood in the halls of House Belisarius I suggest that you remove yourself out of my path."

She wavered for a moment and Ragnar could feel that for a moment she considered ignoring him. "The Inquisition will remember," she spat. "And you just made an enemy out of me, Ragnar Blackmane."

"We still remember Armageddon," Ranek coldly said. "We remember it and won't forget that."

Her eyes flew open at those words and looked at Ranek. "What are you talking about, Chaplain? There was no war where your chapter was deployed to Armageddon."

Ranek laughed mirthlessly. "We both know about what war I am talking," he said and she gave him an icy look. "A war when Knights of Titan were deployed to battle Deamon Primarch Angron and you decided to sterilize the whole population of the planet."

"I'll let you pass this time," she finally said. "But don't test the patience of the Inquisition as it is already limited."

Ragnar growled and walked past that Inquisitor, it was when he detected presence of a couple of Acolytes of the Inquisitor and one of them smelled like a psyker. He let out a short growl and quickly walked to the ship waiting for them. He looked in the direction of that boy and smiled in understanding when he saw him openly show fear. Inquisition caused that in everybody that came across them and most usually were just better at hiding that they were rattled.

In his mind he started to recite a litany to the Allfather in an attempt to calm his mind as he could feel those lackeys follow them and attempt to look unseen. He let out a peaceful breath when they finally boarded the Stormwolf and the assault ramp locked behind them, keeping those spies outside. He felt that this thing would haunt him and his chapter for years to come and that was without already bad relations with the Inquisition.

o-0-o

Torin entered the chambers of the Celestarch and slightly bowed his head in a sign of respect to her. Even if he was one of the Space Wolves, he was also a sworn bodyguard to her house and needed to obey her command. "Did you call me, m'lady?" he asked.

"I did call you," she said and looked at him. "Do you think it is wise to let Harald join your brothers?"

"So he chose to join them?" Torin asked and she briefly nodded. "He doesn't fit here, no matter what we do, he doesn't fit here. Fenris, while it is harsh and unforgiving it might be a better place for him. Even better if he becomes one of them and if Ragnar noticed him, he will end in good hands."

"Why?" the Celestarch asked. "From what I remember all Wolf Lords are the same and they don't have much to say when it comes to recruitment."

"Not quite," Torin said and poured himself a tankard of ale before continuing. "While normally they don't meddle in those affairs, we never truly discarded old organization from the time before the Heresy and each Great Company is like a chapter and their Lords are autonomous and have quite a lot of power. And from what I managed to see the Inquisition already tried to dig its claws into this mess and Ragnar is too stubborn to let it go, or perhaps too prideful. Which one, doesn't matter, he won't let it go and he will hold onto Harald as if his life depended on it and the Great Wolf might interfere. I shouldn't be telling you this, but he ordered expansion of our ranks and for last half of a century we started to recruit as many Aspirants as we could get."

"I see," the Celestarch said and looked at Torin. "Should I send a message to the Fang, on board of our fastest available courier or let them learn of it when Ragnar comes?"

"Normally I would advise against it," Torin said. "But not with those Inquisitors sticking their noses into the whole thing. They might cause problems and a courier ship should be quite a lot faster than Ragnar's fleet, so the Great Wolf should learn before the trouble comes and if the Inquisition comes, there will be a warm greeting for them."

"Do they hate your chapter so much?" the Celestarch asked. "I know that there's bad blood between you and them, but I didn't know it was that bad."

"We still remember that grudge and will for few millenia," Torin said. "Not that they want to forget about it and here is a perfect moment for them to strike. Even if Harald is a worthy candidate and by the Allfather he is, he isn't a Fenrisian and they might use that as a basis to get their hands on him."

"I'll write the message and the next courier ship will leave with it," she said. "And you will guard the Navigator that will pilot the ship. If need be take more of your brothers, but ensure that the message gets there. Also I will write to the Great Wolf a message asking for doubling the amount of the Blades that protect me and my house."

"High Lords won't like it," Torin said quietly. "They already have problems with the presence of those twenty-four Wolves that stay on Terra, now they will dislike us even more."

"Not all of them will dislike it," the Celestarch countered. "I have many favors owed to me and I started to use some of them. Mechanicum and Astra Militarum already accepted this change, while the rest is still considering it."

"That, that can work," Torin said and considered his words for a second. "The only real enemy of this is the Inquisition and even they know that a clash with Mechanicus is never a good thing."

The Celestarch smiled in agreement and Torin realized that all of the recent events were effect of her game. Even that confrontation between Ragnar and the Inquisitor, now it all made perfect sense.

o-0-o

Harry looked around, confused and amazed at the same time. He didn't know how the hell he landed where he was, but after a year of living among those people he quickly forgot about his dreadful past and now in front of him was something new. Since his arrival he saw and interacted with the Wolves and when that Wolf Lord offered him a chance to become one he jumped up and down in joy. Being one of Angels of Death was a dream of almost any boy from the Empire and the Space Wolves were one of the names said with great respect.

He looked out of a small window placed in the side of the craft in which they were traveling and almost immediately spotted a massive form of a ship that was their target. It was huge and he had troubles believing that it could exist.

"Pride of Russ," the Wolf Priest said and Harry looked at him. "That's how the flagship is called, Ragnar won it during a mutiny in the Imperial Navy, an Overlord-class battlecruiser sided itself with traitors and we boarded the ship, taking it with us and now it serves as Ragnar's flagship."

Harry nodded, his movements struck with awe and respect. His new family was responsible for navigation of Imperium's ships and he heard from some of them how powerful some of the voidships were.

"You will learn of this and many more during the travel to Fenris," Ranek said and added with a thin smile. "As I'm the only Wolf Priest on board of the ship and it is always our duty to educate new members of the chapter, I will teach you things you should know."

"I understand," Harry said with a bow of his head.

"Good, really good," Ranek said and Harry looked at him, feeling change of the mood of the Priest. "If you work you will have less work once we are at the Fang, our fortress-monastery. You are not one of our recruits, so we need to give the same knowledge they have prior to joining the ranks."

Harry nodded and watched as the Stormwolf performed last few maneuvers before entering the bay on board of Ragnar's flagship. He looked at Ranek and when he saw the massive form of the Wolf Priest move from his seat he followed him. They left the gunship following Ragnar and the Wolf Guard that followed their lord like a pack of faithful wolves.

Harry looked at Ranek who just indicated with his head one of the corridors and Harry shrugging followed the Priest down numerous corridors. With each step he felt the air get thick with the smell of wolves and corridors became rich with wolf pelt decorations. They passed many such corridors before Ranek finally stopped in front of a simple door and let Harry catch his breath. Even if the Wolf Priest was walking slowly, it was a slow pace for someone that was eight feet tall, for an eleven years old child that was a jog.

"This will be your room for the journey," Ranek said, pushing door open. "I expect that you will keep it tidy, there are kaerls that man the ship, but it is a responsibility of a warrior to care for their belongings."

Harry let out a small gulp and looked around, it wasn't a small room, it was simple in decor, but not small. In the corner there was a massive bed, designed with a Space Wolf in mind, not a human like him. There was also a chair placed by the bed for him to strap in during entering and leaving the Warp and the last two things that there were was a small bookcase filled with scrolls, with a nearby desk and a large chest for any personal belongings, which he had none.

"I'll send a kaerl with a proper clothing for you," Ranek said and Harry looked at him. "You are an Aspirant or soon be and you need to dress like one. While your clothes are more than adequate, they're not in the colors of the chapter."

Harry let out a pout, but quickly nodded and at it Ranek smiled and left him. He walked to the bed and sat down on it, it wasn't the softest bed on which he sat, but it was still comfortable and after the time he spent those beasts he didn't even considered his family. People that he considered his family belonged to the House of Belisarius, even if they didn't share blood he knew he could trust them and Space Wolves also felt like a group that would easily accept him. Before long he felt the door open and when he looked in its direction he saw a kaerl enter the room holding a small bundle. She bowed to him and straightened before speaking. "Lord Ranek asked me to give those things to you," she said and leaving the bundle quickly retreated.

Harry walked to the bundle and opening it he found several sets of clothes, all of them were matte gray and the shirt sported above the heart a snarling head of a wolf, a sign of the chapter. They were simple, but holding them he could tell that they were practical and comfortable. He quickly discarded his own clothes and dressed into the ones he was given, putting them on he felt that they were light and surprisingly comfortable.

He barely had a chance to get used to those clothes when door yet again opened and this time Ranek stepped through, he looked around and nodded at Harry. "Good that you are ready, we will begin your training immediately."

o-0-o

 **A/N – Notes and so on:**

 **The Celestarch** – leader of Navis Nobilite house, elected for the post by the Elders of each house.

 **Wolf Priest** – in chapters complying with Codex he would be known as Chaplain, they care for spiritual health of battle-brothers, advise commanders and recruit new Aspirants and oversee them.

 **Great Wolf** – leader of Space Wolves, current holder of this position is Logan Grimnar

 **Wolf Lords** – leaders of Great Companies, Ragnar is the youngest among their ranks and is rumored to be seen as a replacement of Logan if something happened to Logan.

 **Wolf Guard** – bodyguards, hand-picked by the Lord to be his envoys, guards and advisors.

 **Size of Space Wolves, this thing causes pain and arguments as lore is conflicting and messed up, I decided to choose something that I consider middle ground. Hundred or so battle-brothers wouldn't cause such a panicked reaction whenever Logan gets grumpy and considers splitting some skulls. But the pre-Heresy size of around ten thousand per company is too big as we know that even the Wolves were reduced in numbers, so I decided to go with around five hundred brothers per company, with some being bigger than others.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Second chapter as I feel in the mood to write the story and I like the plot that grew in my mind.**

o-0-o

Wolf Guards were veterans of the chapter, chosen for their skills in combat and abilities as commanders. They were the best the chapter had and were used to Wolf Lords or the Great Wolf having tantrums and tearing a new one some reckless commanders, but even they winced as the Great Wolf raged. They at least had a comfort of not being the target of that rage and could focus on reciting prayers and litanies to the Allfather. The poor Grey Hunter that stood in front of what now was remains of a massive desk that was shattered in the first outburst of fury of their liege didn't have any such comfort and knew that the next strike instead of splitting stones into smaller pieces could cave in his head.

"What did she said?" Logan asked as he finally calmed and the Grey Hunter let out a breath of relief.

"That she is sending a messenger carrying further data for you," the Grey Hunter recited from his mind.

"No, before that," Logan said.

"That the Wolf Lord will be bringing a gift, one that caused the Inquisition to threaten him," the Grey Hunter dutifully said.

"You're dismissed," Logan said and the Hunter darted out of the room as quickly as he could.

"What could be so dangerous or important that the Inquisition is willing to risk angering the Navis Nobilite, whoever Navis can bribe and us?" Logan wondered and looked at his guards. "Fetch me any Rune Priest you can find and Ulrik the Slayer."

One of the Wolf Guards nodded and walked away to get people his jarl required, while letting Logan gather his thoughts and organize them into something that made sense to him. Even after centuries of living and fighting for the Imperium he couldn't see what could be a thing that Navigators could gift Ragnar that Inquisition would have a strong desire to see Ragnar's head on a spike. He bared his fangs for a brief second and then his them as he managed to calm down. The fact that the Navigators were sending a messenger of all things, one that was most likely guarded by few Wolfblades said even more.

Things were moving and maybe for the first time in the ten millenia that had passed since the Heresy some change would happen. He knew that the game that was played by the Celestarch was a risky one, but it was not that anything else could be played in the current times. With the Inquisition sniffing out plots and schemes even in place where any weren't one needed to move fast and strike before they could find that something was amiss.

Doors opened and through them walked in the Wolf Guard followed by Ulrik the Slayer and Njal Stormcaller. Both of them were ancient warriors of the chapter, their hair as white as snow, yet around them was seen an aura that made even Logan hesitant to challenge them.

"What is it that you require from us?" Njal asked, a raven sitting on his shoulder and looking around. "The Guard that found us was in haste."

"I need advice of someone that can predict the future," Logan said and at those words his eyes focused on Njal before moving to Ulrik. "And someone that oversees training of our new brothers."

"What is the thing that require our advice?" Ulrik asked.

"A message came from Terra," Logan said and they focused on him. "Blackmane received some gift from the Celestarch of Belisarius and the Inquisition is deeply unhappy about the events that happened. The message was very vague, but the fastest ship our allies could find is traveling here and should be weeks ahead of Ragnar."

"And any Inquisition dogs that will most likely follow him," Ulrik added.

"Quite," Logan agreed and let out a low growl. "They need to learn how to bow when they're in the wrong." Then he paused for a second and looked at Ulrik. "I've gave you access to the notes and information kept by the Great Wolves of the past in regards of training of Aspirants and did you find anything of use."

"I did," Ulrik said and paused. "It also greatly disturbs me, in the past until some M33 we didn't teach them about any faith into the Allfather, instead focusing more on discipline and training."

"So the Bjorn was right," Logan muttered and they looked at him. "That's of no importance," he quickly said and looked at Ulrik. "Could you try to recreate the same training they used?"

"I could."

At this Logan smiled, his long canines flashing. "Perfect," he said and they looked at him, unsure if they heard him right. "If I'm right Ragnar is bringing a new Aspirant and I want you to use the training on him, to test if it works."

They looked between each other and Njal finally nodded. "If that's the case, I will need to personally test him and modify the trials we usually use on our recruits. While Ranek certainly will educate that Aspirant about the culture and customs of Fenris, what we know and believe in won't affect him that much."

"If the Inquisition was so keen on getting their hands on him there's more to it," Ulrik said and Logan nodded.

"A psyker?"

"Or one that has an incredible potential that needs to be awoken," Njal added. "If that's the case his training will be a challenge."

"We don't have really psychic active population," Ulrik said after a moment.

"Exactly and most has those genes awoken when they receive their implants," Njal finished. "Only Knights of Titan recruit psykers."

Logan nodded and cleared his throat, getting their attention. "You will get whatever resources you need, just ensure that the training and implantations go smoothly."

o-0-o

Ranek looked at Harry with some amusement visible on his hard and scarred features, he rarely saw so much joy and happiness in kids on Fenris. He could only see it among those that lived in the shadow of the Aett where they had access to some civilization and protection from the worst dangers. "Good, very good," he said, looking at Harry's form who almost toppled over after making several circles around the training yard. "You seem to be getting better with each day."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Ranek said and threw towards him a bottle of water. "Catch breath and take a shower before joining me in my quarters. It is time for us to start on your more academic knowledge."

Ranek watched the kid run off and then turned to look at Ragnar who emerged from the shadows that hid him. "An impressive kid," Ragnar said and Ranek looked at him. "Reminds me a lot of me before joining the Wolves."

"He is different," Ranek said cautiously. "Different in a way, but both of you showed signs of greatness when being recruited. He also has mind that was trained in the ways of scheming and intrigues, traits so needed on Holy Terra to survive."

"It was you who told me that it is the biggest snake pit in the galaxy," Ragnar said and Ranek gave him a long look. "Before I was sent to the Wolfblades, to join them and protect the Celestarch."

"Officially I didn't say those words," Ranek said and then smiled. "But you are right, no matter how not wanted are them by the Ecclesiarchy or the Inquisition."

"So what are you going to teach the kid?" Ragnar asked, getting to what he wanted.

"Probably the basic outlines of the chapter's history and check how far his schooling in scheming went," Ranek said and paused for a moment. "If my feelings are right, he will be a rather unique Wolf."

"I plan to meddle as much as I can get away with," Ragnar said. "He's too good to waste his potential and I might claim him for my Wolf Guard the moment he finishes his training."

"Not a thing that didn't happen in the past," Ranek said and looked at Ragnar. "However there is a better opportunity for him if you want to steer his career, or at least his early steps."

"What?"

"Wolfblades," Ranek said and Ragnar looked at him as if he was insane. "You want him to groom him into an heir and he will learn more from his family on Terra and from protecting them than he will get from following you through the battlefields."

Ragnar was silent for a moment, his whole form not moving an inch. "You are right," he finally said. "Service with the Blades will be a better one for him. We already have too many brutes that know only combat. Having someone that's natural in the scheming ways of the nobility and the Inquisition wouldn't be bad, even if I hate the idea."

"Quite," Ranek said. "He will be a great asset and should be of use as a leader of one of the companies or one of the Wolf Guard. Also, will you mind if I borrow one of your Wolf Guard?"

"For what?"

"To show him how to use an axe and few other weapons he better gets intimate with. I can do that, but I prefer to have someone that he can bash and I can watch them and point out mistakes."

"I'll find one that's old enough not to get angry at being beaten and know his stuff," Ragnar said and Ranek nodded. "Now I think that your student is waiting for you."

Ranek bowed his head and walked towards his quarters, leaving the Wolf Lord to deal with the task given to him.

o-0-o

Grand Master Voldus reached for a deck of Imperial Tarot cards and shuffled them before carefully picking one from the top he placed it on the table in front of him and then flipped. It showed a person clad in a power armor, standing atop a pile of slaughtered orks. Around his body were dancing ethereal flames and on his helmet was visible a wreath of laurel.

"Space Marine," Voldus said. "A champion will rise, from the ranks of the Marines, one that will shatter the status quo."

He then reached for the second card and placed it on the table before flipping it. When he looked at it, he held his breath. A body browned with age and blackened from death on a throne. "God-Emperor," he said. "A discovery and hope." Then his eyes flicked over to the previous card. "A champion will be discovered, one that will bring hope."

He reached for the third card and pulled out one showing an eye with an arrow. "Eye of Horus," he said. "Encroaching darkness and enemies of the Imperium." He looked at the three cards and let out out a slow breath. "Good, strong omens, but that darkness is worrying."

Closing his eyes he went through a series of calming exercises and then looked at the shelves stacked full with lore about daemons and how to combat them. He could feel a change happen and those cards confirmed it, he never saw this particular combination of them and it made him worried. There was also the game that the Inquisition tried to play and so far managed to fail, badly at it. That child they tried to get wasn't destined to end in their hands, he could tell that the boy was destined to become a Marine, but not a member of Inquisition.

He collected the deck and putting it on its proper place he walked between the shelves with lore and started to look for something that could shed more light onto this mess. Which with the Inquisition meddling was a dark and dangerous task.

o-0-o

"What do you know about the chapter and its organization from your education?" Ranek asked and Harry looked at him. "Positions, titles and so on."

"Not much," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile. "I was taught that it's Primarch is Leman Russ ans that its Chapter Master is known as the Great Wolf and it is divided into twelve Great Companies instead of the normal ten."

"You know more than quite a lot of people knows," Ranek said and paused for a moment before thinking what to say next. "The exact history you will learn once the training starts, but now I can tell you the basic lore that should help you organize the the knowledge you have. The chapter doesn't abide to the Codex and we have twelve companies that are much more autonomous than what you would find in a normal chapter. Also there's a unit you probably already met when living with your family."

Harry looked at Ranek and then his eyes widened. "Wolfblades," he said. "A unit that protects the Celestarch."

"Indeed, pup," Ranek said and Harry looked at him. "Pup is a youngling of a wolf and you are soon to be a wolf, at least in a way. Anyways, back onto the topic...

o-0-o

Torin Wayfarer stood behind Gabriela with arms behind his back as he watched the shuttle that carried them leave the ship and move towards the Aett. Behind he could feel presence of his two brothers, both fully focused on their charge, their senses sweeping the space and looking for any threats. They didn't want to admit it, but with the Inquisition playing its game they were tensed and would only relax when she was safely inside of the fortress.

He felt the hull shook as it docked with one of many docking ports of the Fang and he moved forward, to the front of Gabriela and waited for the Machine Spirits of the ship to verify that outside was breathable atmosphere and the ramp could be lowered. Once the ramp lowered he stepped out of the craft and looked around, just to see the Champion of the Great Wolf and a detachment of his Wolf Guard waiting for them. His eyes darted for a moment towards the higher hangar bays and a thin smile appeared on his lips when he saw Long Fangs with heavy weapons hidden there.

Arjac Rockfist, current Champion, stepped forward and bowed slightly to Torin and Gabriela who walked right behind him, before speaking. "The Great Wolf greets you at the Fang and will meet you in his throne room. If you could follow me, I will take you with me."

Torin nodded and once his two brothers slipped into positions to the side of their charge they followed Arjac. The walk was quick and soon they stood in front of stone doors emblazoned with images of wolves. There were also two Marines in front of them, in armor so ancient he had troubles recognizing it.

"What kind of armor is that?" Gabriela whispered.

Torin gave those Marines one look and glanced at their shoulders to see thick strips of decorative leather hang from there and no Crux Terminatus. "Cataphractii Terminator Armor," he said after a moment. "A very old pattern of the armor, usually kept for the best of the best. Only few Forge Worlds can make it and if I remember correctly there's a small stash of them in your family vaults."

She nodded and after a moment the doors groaned before being opened and revealing the throne room where Logan Grimnar sat on a massive stone throne, to his sides Wolf Lords present on Fenris and Priests of the chapter as well as the rest of his Wolf Guard. Torin followed Arjac to the spot directly in front of the throne and there bowed to his liege before stepping to the side and letting Gabriela step forward.

"I thank you for such a warm greeting," she smoothly said. "I wish this meeting was in better circumstances, alas situation is dire and we need to live with it and accept it. I'm here on behalf of the Lady Celestarch and its because of the events that transpired on the Holy Terra five weeks ago. Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane arrived to report that the mission he was asked to do was done and the Celestarch offered him anything in return. He chose to ask for an Aspirant for the chapter and when he traveled to the ship that took him to the orbit there was a confrontation with the Inquisition. My Lady asked me to tell you that she will use all the means available to her to support you in the incoming conflicts and asks in return for doubling the size of bodyguards provided by the chapter."

Once she finished speaking there was a wave of grumbling and angry noises leave the Wolves as they digested data and showed their annoyance at the behavior of the Inquisition.

"You speak wisdom and your House was always an ally of our chapter," Logan said. "We are grateful for the support you offer during the conflict and we will provide you with the Wolfblades you ask for. However I would like to ask that in times of need we will be allowed to use any of our relics and artifacts that are in your vaults."

"My Lady said that you would ask for those things," Gabriela said and Wolves leaned towards her. "And she didn't have any issues with me agreeing to it and as a sign of a good will on board of my ship I carry fifty pieces of weaponry that were entrusted into our care."

"It's a very generous gift and we will happily accept it and they won't be gathering dust on the shelves of our armory," Logan said and looked at the people around them. "Perhaps we should move to a more private setting and finish negotiations between us while your retinue enjoys the feast."

Gabriela nodded and looked at Torin, who just bowed and looked at the rest of his chapter. All of them started to walk out of the room and he joined the stream of bodies that took him to the Great Hall where tables were full of various meals. While from the ceiling hanged shields with clan symbols of all the Space Wolves that were in the chapter, between them he could see pelts of various animals that were hunted by the Wolves during their trips into the nearby mountains.

o-0-o

Grandmaster looked out of the window of one of the many spires that made the bulk of the Headquarters of the Inquisition on Terra and tried not to growl and shout in anger. His agent was too late and that blasted child was taken in by the Space Wolves and the Envoy of the Navis Nobilite was the most unhappy with the fact that the Inquisition ventured into the Quarter, without a written invitation. On its own it wasn't dangerous as the High Lords always bickered ans quarreled with each other, but given time it could grow into something much more dangerous.

That was half the trouble he now faced, second was because the Celestarch of the House Belisarius started to meet various High Lords of the Imperium. He didn't need to be a person with few dozens years of hunting down treason to know when he saw one and this combined with the Space Wolves showing some disturbing ideas smelled like one. It was even more dangerous with a very disturbing silence of Titan and Great Masters of the Grey Knights that ignored most dispatches that were sent to them. As if they knew something and didn't think it was wise to interfere in the affairs of a fellow chapter and even if they were working with the Inquisition, they answered directly to the Emperor and there was no real and reliable way to force them to obey commands coming from the Inquisition.

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N – Canon in the story, some parts of it will be outright vented through the airlock, starting with Primaris Marines and the eighth edition as it is too much crap and not enough diamonds to bother fixing what cannot be fixed. Primarchs are planned to come back, but Failbaddon suddenly discovering how to fight is a thing I won't believe, he bounced off the first line of defense twelve times and even Orks are better than him, so 13** **th** **Black Crusade is still brewing.**

 **Different training – Logan is cunning, clever and is one of few leaders that can actually think inside of the Imperium and he will use every tool that can get him better warriors and more of them. Also he has big enough clout to do what he pretty much wants, he is an experienced leader that has several centuries of service, generally respected and known to be able to work with everybody. Celestial Lions were relatively new chapter when they got slaughtered on Armageddon, Wolves are the first founding and if the Inquisition moved against them most of other chapters would grumble very loudly and might even pay a visit to Terra. This is assuming that they can get a reliable data on what changes are sewn inside of that conditioning and training Harry will undergo, which is highly unlikely as only selected few know about normal training and about this know maybe five people. Also the Space Wolves aren't the biggest zealots inside of the Empire and never showed that much fervour when it comes to their faith. They might also tinker a bit with gene seed to get more stability, Harry is actually a godsend for them, they would hesitate to carry out those things on their relatives on Fenris, but they won't have too many hesitations with testing them on someone that's a very troublesome gift to deal with.**

 **Reviews:**

Warlord Fellhammer – _Harry Potter is one of nicer universes to mix in with others and Warhammer has magic of some form so it is even nicer and better. Just cannot decide on which branch of psyker powers Harry should focus as there are so many cool ones to choose from._

ww1990ww – _Throwing out manure from between the gears officially started now, in the future some minced bodies might be used to grease those gears to run smoother and better._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – I spoil you too much, but somehow that's the only thing my mind can think about writing, so here is chapter number three.**

 **o-0-o**

Several next months of the Warp travel were in a way a living hell for Harry, Ranek and several of Ragnar's Wolf Guard kept him running or training in one way or another for most of the day and if it wasn't physical training they educated him about things he needed to know. By the end of each day he slammed into his bed with an exhausted sigh as almost his whole body was on fire, every single muscle fiber and nerve screaming in pain. Yet even in that hell he could feel that he was getting faster, stronger, more endurant and with faster reflexes. While his teachers were still blurs to him when they moved at their maximum speed, he was sometimes able to avoid strikes that previously sent him hurling onto the floor of the training yard. He still got knocked out by the Wolves, but it was far less frequent and his chances in most duels when they controlled their strength were increased by quite a lot.

As he looked at his body in a mirror he discovered in his bathroom, his previously normal and quite thin body started to quickly get covered in lean, hard muscles as well as myriads of scars from various cuts and scratches he had collected during his training by the Wolves. He shook his head, banishing those thoughts and finished getting himself ready for the day as according to Ranek they were just minutes away from being at the Aett. He dressed into the clothes given to him and tied his hair with a piece of leather that held them in a ponytail and away from his eyes.

The moment he stepped out of the bathroom door to his quarters opened and through them stepped in Ranek. His gaze darted around the room before noticing Harry and nodding in approval. "Very good," he said. "First impression will be important, come with me."

Harry gulped in fear, but nodded and followed the Wolf Priest through the corridors of the ship and soon they found themselves in one of massive hangars where Stormwolves, Stormfangs and Thunderhawks waited to take them onto the surface of the planet. Harry easily recognized colors of various kinds of troops belonging to the chapter, from Blood Claws, through Grey Hunters and Long Fangs to the Wolf Guard. In the middle of the largest group of the Wolf Guard he saw the form of Ragnar, Wolf Lord and obvious leader of this group.

"You will travel with them and me," Ranek said, placing his gauntleted hand on Harry's shoulder. "Do not speak unless spoken to and obey commands as long as I or Ragnar confirm them. Many will be curious, but you need to know that wolf never let's go of its prize and it always protect its pups."

Harry nodded and followed Ranek, the Wolf Guard and Ragnar into the Thunderhawk that once the compartment was locked took off and left the hangar heading towards the planet below them. Looking through one of small, circular windows placed in the side of the craft he could see a massive peak pierce the cover of the clouds that covered the planet and reach even higher.

"The Aett or the Fang," Ranek explained. "Our fortress and your home for the next few centuries or even longer. Inside you will find everything you will need or require and it is the place where you will be transformed into one of us and later trained."

Harry nodded and felt the Thunderhawk shake as it passed through the upper reached of the atmosphere before touching down in a hangar that was at the peak of the Aett. Harry slipped of his seat and let the massive forms of the Wolf Guard pass him before he followed Ranek out of the compartment. When he stepped onto the stone floor of the hangar he almost lost his breath, in the hangar in even lines was gathered whole chapter. Ranek taught him colors of each Wolf Lord and the Great Wolf, and looking around he saw five Wolf Lords and the Great Wolf. Each standing at the front of their Great Company.

Harry felt Ranek place his gauntlet palm on his shoulder and nudge him forward, so he walked right behind the Wolf Lord and stopped when Ragnar also stopped.

"I must say that I didn't expect such a warm greeting," Ragnar said and threw his head backwards. "Not that I mind it, but what's the reason for so many of fellow Wolves gathered to greet me."

"Because you caused quite a stir," someone said and it took Harry a second to recognize that person as the Great Wolf. "But also you deserve such greeting as you are one of the best commanders we have."

Ragnar threw his head backwards and laughed for a little while before calming and getting serious. "I would like to present to you, the Great Wolf, an Aspirant we found when on Holy Terra in the House of Belisarius."

At those words Ranek lightly nudged Harry forward and at the same time Ragnar moved to the side and let Harry stand besides him. The moment it happened Harry could feel gazes of the whole chapter that was present focus on him, it felt as if everything else didn't exist and he was the most important thing in the universe. However being looked upon was one thing, he also felt powerful mental probes enter his mind and look around.

"A thing that didn't happen since the formation of the legion," the Great Wolf said, walking closer, closely following him a group of priests. "He looks strong and like a warrior in the making, a worthy candidate for our chapter, one that we need."

"Will we accept him into our ranks?" Ragnar asked and Harry could feel the Wolf Lord move to a more challenging position, hand resting on the handle of his sword.

"We will," the Great Wolf said and looked at Ranek. "Do your duties while I talk in private with the Blackmane." Then Great Wolf's gaze switched to the chapter gathered behind him. "Return to your duties, Wolf Lords meet me in the war room once I'm done talking with the Blackmane."

Harry followed Ranek who led him through several dozens of corridors that ran through the mountain until they stopped in front of a wooden door placed in stone wall. Ranek opened it and indicated the room inside. "This is your room until you will begin your transformation and training," he said and Harry nodded. "However before you can get rest Iron Priests will need to examine you."

Harry let out a small sigh and followed Ranek through even more corridors carved out of the stone. With each step he felt temperature slowly rise, at first he didn't feel it that much, but after a moment he felt as if he was walking into a roaring heart of a volcano.

"Forges are ahead of us," Ranek explained seeing his confusion. "Main duty of Iron Priest is to provide us with everything we need or require, but that's not their only task. They also test our Aspirants before we begin your training."

Harry let out a feeble gulp, but nodded and following Ranek they entered something that looked like a weird effect of mixing laboratory and examination room. Inside there was a Space Wolf in a power armor with two cybernetic arms growing from his back. The moment they entered the Space Wolf looked at them and nodded.

"Not a Fenrisian," he said and looked at Ranek. "Where did you find this one?"

"Holy Terra."

"Interesting, very interesting," the Iron Priest said and looked at Harry. "Lay down on that cot in the corner. I need to take samples and you'll need to answer some questions from me."

Harry nodded and did as he was told while he heard Ranek and the Iron Priest talk with each other in a strange language he had troubles understanding. He managed to pick up some basic phrases of it during his life on Terra and later during travel, but everything else was beyond him. He just saw Ranek bow his head to the Iron Priest and retreat into the corner, while the Iron Priest walked towards him.

"How old are you?" Iron Priest asked leaning over him.

"Twelve years old, m'lord," Harry said "Was eleven before the travel through the Warp."

"Hmph," the Iron Priest huffed as his cybernetic arms started manipulate things out of sight of Harry. "Not the youngest we recruit, but also not the oldest. And seems healthy."

"Is it rare?" Harry asked and quickly added. "Pardon, that is if I can ask."

"Not quite," the Priest said its artificial eye focused on Harry. "Fenris causes only the strongest to survive, but there tend to be some minor flaw in them. You, you are the purest human being I have ever seen, not even the slight mutation of your DNA."

Harry nodded and saw one of the arms give the Priest a small syringe.

"I'll take blood samples and we will be done," the Priest said and Harry nodded, not even wincing when the needle pierced his skin. "It should be beyond our expectations, but I want to be safe before we start."

Harry nodded and slipped of the cot before going to Ranek who seemed deep in thoughts about something.

"I'll show you training yards and places where you can get food," he said, snapping out of his thoughts. "I expect that you keep doing the same training you were doing when in travel."

o-0-o

"Can you explain to me what caused you to claim that boy as an Aspirant?" Logan Grimnar asked.

"I saw something special in him," Ragnar said. "Something that made me claim him, I cannot explain what it was Great Wolf, but I know that his Wyrd is special and Ranek also agreed on that matter."

"That explanation is good enough for me," Logan said and Ragnar almost winced. "But what about the Inquisition, not that I have much love for those idiots. They never ever stop pursuing their targets and it is obvious that he is a special one to them."

"Induct him into the chapter," Ragnar said. "Induct him so that they don't have a way to get him out of our hands. They might be the most powerful organization that has agents everywhere, but even they acknowledge our autonomy and authority to do what we deem necessary."

"Are you willing to risk your honor, reputation and position so that he can become one of us?" Logan asked.

"I am," Ragnar said, his fangs bared and almost snarling. "Letting him go, especially now, would be a huge lose to our chapter. I saw him spar with Ranek and my own guards and what he lacked in strength and speed he certainly compensated in ferocity, courage and cunning mind. Also he received training, or at least beginnings of it from the Navigators, in the ways of scheming and politics."

"Very well," Logan said and Ragnar calmed a bit. "He will be allowed to be inducted into the chapter and if he passes and survives training he will be allowed to join Wolfblades as that's a thing you want to happen. I won't give him to the Inquisition and by the Allfather, they need to be humbled and I will never discard such a perfect opportunity to hurt them."

"We had a minor clash with them on Terra."

"I know," Logan nodded. "An emissary from the Celestarch was here and explained what had transpired there. She also said that you had tails when you jumped into Warp."

Ragnar snarled and his eyes blazed with fury. "Who?!"

"A minor detachment of the Navy and a couple of Inquisitorial ships."

"I should have expected that," Ragnar said and shook his head. "I forgot how vicious they can be."

"They will land in a trap," Logan said grimly. "But that's for every Lord to hear, just know that they will learn to leave Wolves what Wolves claimed as their."

Ragnar smiled at those words, yet it wasn't a smile that was pleasant, no, it was one that was visible on a face of a predator when it found prey.

o-0-o

The Celestarch gave one last look the throne room and her household gathered inside before nodding to the chamberlain and a pair of guards that waited by the massive doors of it. They bowed to her and the doors slowly opened and revealed a hooded and cloaked person dressed in red. It was Fabricator Locum of Mars, one of the most powerful beings in the whole Imperium and one of the most heavily augmented ones.

"Welcome to House of Belisarius," the Celestarch said. "And thank you for your quick arrival."

"Fabricator-General sends his words of gratitude and apologize that he cannot be in person here, but politics of the Imperium stopped him," Fabricator Locum said. "When we heard of the fact that you consider letting us inspect treasures hidden inside of your vaults, including wonders of long lost technology we couldn't wait."

The Celestarch briefly smiled, but her face quickly became the unreadable mask she managed to perfect. "They belong to our allies, the Space Wolves, so you can only inspect them without taking them to Mars as they are adamant that they lay here and wait for the time when one of Vlka will need to use them."

"Of course," the Fabricator nodded and she could feel his cybernetic eyes focus on her. "Logic makes me ask, what's the price of them as nobody sells their secrets for free."

"There's a price, but that's for a lesser amount of ears than we have in this room," the Celestarch said. "I can assure you that we will both benefit from this agreement and that the Priesthood will be most happy with the terms."

She saw him slowly nod as he realized what were the ears that shouldn't hear of their agreement. "Of course, Lady Celestarch, if it isn't a problem I brought with myself few of my most trusted Priests that could start inspecting your vaults immediately."

"No, it's not a problem," she said. "In fact, I wanted to offer that it is started immediately as my House has gathered many wonders since the time of the Crusader and the task is long and daunting."

"In the name of the Quest for Knowledge we will do it," Fabricator said.

She nodded and snapped her fingers, making a commander of guard step forward, he was a tall man in a carapace armor and an artificial eye. "Adrian, take the priests to the vaults and show them wonders of technology we have gathered."

Fabricator looked towards the doors of the hall and score of lesser priests filled in. "Obey their commands and start inspecting the technology," he said and looked at the Celestarch. "As they do it perhaps we shall begun negotiating the true deal, without those ears that shouldn't hear our talk."

"Of course," she said and stood up from her throne.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar sat on his throne on the command deck of his massive flagship, Retribution-class battleship, known as the _Pride of Fenris_ and waited. If divination attempts were right their highly unwanted guests would arrive in few moments. He glanced at the display showing placement of the fleet and grimly smiled when he saw several battlecruisers and battle barges flank the _Pride_. Unless Inquisition was able to get some battlefleet, they would need to submit or risk being blown to pieces and that was without the defense systems of the Fang that were armed and ready to unleash their wrath onto the enemies of the Space Wolves.

"Inquisition's fleet just left the Warp, m'lord," one of crewman reported. "Seven light cruisers, one battlecruiser and escorts."

"Do they expect that we give them what they want without fight?" Logan asked, his fangs bared.

"Looks like it," Ulrik said. "Too weak to be a challenge for us and defenses of the Fang can smash apart battleships."

Logan nodded and studied the plot for a moment, trying to see any traps that could be planned by their adversaries. Yet there was nothing that he could spot, it seemed as if Ulrik was right.

"They're hailing us," Captain of the _Pride_ reported.

"Answer," Logan said and moments later on a hololith display appeared a face of an Inquisitor. "Who dare to invade the Fenris system?"

"Inquisitor Lord Marcus Carrow," the Inquisitor introduced himself. "I'm here for a boy that was stolen from us by one of your barbaric and independent Wolf Lords."

Logan growled and bared his fangs. "Control your tongue or your ships will be shredded and your head will join our collection of trophies."

Inquisitor briefly paled, but then regained his composure, apparently it was one of his first encounters with one of more savage chapters of Space Marines. "Of course, the Great Wolf, yet it is the fact that one of your Lords stole a boy that belonged to the Inquisition."

" _Lord_ Inquisitor, correct me if I'm wrong, but the boy was a member of the household of the House of Belisarius," Logan said and before the Inquisitor had a chance to say a word he continued. "And as such his future was in the hands of only the current Lady Celestarch and she chose to ask him and he decided to join my chapter and he now belongs to us. So Inquisitor Carrow, take your fleet back, return to Terra and report to your superiors that the next such attempt will end with some new trophies for my chapter."

Inquisitor looked as if he was about to explode from embarrassment, but swallowed and nodded. "Of course, the Great Wolf, it will be done as you wish, yet know it that my superiors will know about this and they might be greatly displeased by those events."

"As they are always with my chapter, so it will be nothing new to me, but might be a very precarious and dangerous path for the Inquisition if you decide to reclaim the boy by force."

Inquisitor didn't say anything more before cutting the link and letting Logan laugh.

"What a fool," Logan said once he calmed a bit and then looked at Ulrik. "Start the procedures as soon as possible, I thought that we had more time than this, but it seems I was wrong."

"Iron Priests need a week to check if he is compatible and they started their tests two days ago, so in five days I should be able to start testing him mentally before we start implantations," Ulrik said.

"What about Canis Helix?" Logan asked. "From what I remember it is crucial for the change and is the first step."

"Aye, it is," Ulrik nodded. "However the old ways used it later and in a more diluted form than what we use on our normal recruits."

"To make the mutation more controlled and slower?"

"Most likely," Ulrik said and looked at his liege. "I'll go to oversee preparations and make sure that the trials of mind are ready."

Logan curtly nodded and heard his main advisor walk away, leaving him on the bridge and letting in peace ponder the situation which for the chapter was quite interesting.

o-0-o

Ulrik the Slayer followed Ranek as both of them were summoned to the lair of Iron Priests, they entered one of chambers prepared for examination of blood and DNA of any future Aspirants to see if they were compatible and saw an Iron Priest looking at a hololith display showing double-helix of DNA.

"Why did you summon us, Rustmane?" Ulrik asked as they entered and the red-haired Iron Priest noticed them.

"Because of the boy brought by the Blackmane," Anvarr Rustmane said. "He is a very unique human, at least when it comes to his genes. I've compared them with those of our Aspirants from the current batch and he seems to have avoided any and all flaws that can exist in our genome."

"What does it mean?" Ranek asked.

"That when the implantation process will begin, he should avoid any and all of the side-effects that can happen to our Aspirants or any Aspirants for that matter. Those side-effects are usually caused by miniscule flaws or mutations within the seed or within the genome of one receiving them. This one is pure, so pure that his helix reminds of the helix of the Wolf King that I once saw."

"So he should survive the process?" Ulrik asked

"Unless there's a thing we missed, he will come out of in better shape than most of our Aspirants," Anvarr said. "Also he is fully compatible with the Primarch and there are no other reasons for it to be rejected."

Ranek looked at Ulrik and a frown appeared on his brow. "If he is compatible, we should start as soon as possible. I don't want second visit from the Inquisition demanding that we give away one of us."

"Indeed," Ulrik said. "Tomorrow we will do it, Njal needs to finish preparing the trials of mind that he will pass once through the Gate of Morkai."

o-0-o

Harry woke up to a heavy pounding onto the door of his quarters, he knew that it meant that he expected to be ready five minutes ago so he dressed hurriedly and got out of the room as quickly as possible. He did it and once outside he found Ranek waiting for him.

"Today your training starts," the Wolf Priest said mysteriously and gave him one last look. "Follow me."

Harry nodded and followed him through the maze of corridors before finally stopping in front of a massive gate covered in carvings showing a two-headed wolf. He looked at the gate and then at the Wolf Priest.

"The Gate of Morkai," the Wolf Priest explained. "Your first test will begin once you pass it."

Harry nodded and gulped slightly, feeling something behind the voice of the Priest that he came to treat in a way like a father. He stepped closer to the gate and its wings opened on their own, massive slabs of stone moving to the sides and revealing gaping blackness. He stepped through the gate and into the darkness beyond and almost immediately felt as if he was falling through the endless abyss. At the same time he felt powerful psychic probes slam into his mind, so strong that he felt immense pain as they looked around and that was the last thing he felt before his mind was enveloped by a fog.

o-0-o

He found himself standing in front of a stone altar, holding a crude stone knife in his hand, before him on the stone was spread out the form of his hated uncle, Vernon.

" _Kill him,"_ something whispered in his mind. _"Kill him for all the wrongs he had do to you. Kill him and have your vengeance for what he had done to you in the past."_

Harry looked at the knife and later at his uncle before closing his eyes and trying to remember his previous life and what he remembered about his uncle. True, he wasn't a caring person, but he provided him with place to live inside.

Opening his eyes he looked at the altar and later at the knife before throwing it away and walking away from the altar. As he did the thing his mind was once again enveloped by a strange mist.

o-0-o

Next vision came in front of him standing on a balcony overlooking massive parade grounds filled with billions of troops, vehicles and beings. He was dressed in a golden armor and he could feel on his head a beautiful crown. Before he could enjoy the view he felt whispers flow into his ears.

" _Swear your allegiance to us and all of this and much more will be yours,"_ something whispered. _"We will make you the greatest king the universe had seen and all we want is that you worship us."_

He felt that those whispers were something more and somehow in his mind appeared a suggestion to focus on them and squash them like an annoying bug. He considered that for a moment and later looked at the image in front of his mind and with a smile squashed those thoughts like annoying mosquitos. The moment he did it his mind was once again enveloped by a strange mist.

o-0-o

Once his vision again focused and mist was gone he laid on a greenest grass he had ever seen and a beautiful female walked to him. Her body completely naked and causing his teenage hormones to act up and cause a reaction from his body. Yet as he looked at her he could tell that something was amiss with her, he couldn't tell what it was, but he had a nagging feeling that there was something wrong with her.

Then he realized what it was, she was too perfect to be true and he didn't even know her, he felt something deep inside of his mind stir and wake before shouting at him in alarm. It once again suggested using his mind on the vision and once he focused it on the image of the females she immediately changed, her perfect teeth changed into those of a predator, sharp and pointy, her hands morphed and instead of hands she had pincer-like claws and her skin became too pale for a human.

He looked at her with disgust and backed away, the moment he did it, he felt mist once again envelop his mind.

o-0-o

Njal staggered as he let go of the mind of Harald, this boy was a gifted psyker that even with the slightest suggestions could rip apart visions and suggestions that drove mad much more experienced Wolves. He looked to the side and saw that four of his most experienced Rune Priests were barely standing on their knees, most supporting themselves on their staffs.

"He is powerful," one of them said. "I've never seen such a powerful psyker in our ranks."

"Aye," Njal said and looked at the form of Harald that laid on the stone floor. "He is as pure as it can be and he needs to begin his training as soon as possible."

Njal walked forward and lifted Harald's body before placing his hand on boy's forehead and channeling a bit of his power into his body. Harald gasped for the air and opened his eyes.

"Did I pass?"

"Yes, you did, young one," Njal said and chuckled. "You almost put out of commission few od my Rune Priests."

Harry's eyes shone with pride and happiness and Njal helped him get up to his feet.

"Trial number one out of your way," Njal said and indicated stone gate at the other side of the chamber. "Go there and once you are on the other side your transformation will begin."

o-0-o

Harry nodded and weakly walked to the gate, his body still exhausted by the trial, when he passed the gate his nostrils were almost immediately assaulted by a powerful scent of incenses so common around machines and an even more powerful scent of antiseptics.

He looked around and he saw that he was in a small room with a door on the other side of it and an Iron Priest standing in front of it, besides him a wooden box.

"Undress," the Iron Priest said. "All the way, underwear too."

Harry looked at the Priest who just looked as impassible as before, his face hidden behind a helmet and nodded. He stripped off his clothes and placed them in the box to the side of the Priest who gave him a look and nodded.

"Follow me," he said.

Harry nodded and followed the Priest who opened the door, let him through and locked with one of the cybernetic arms. When inside Harry looked around and he saw that he was in a medical chamber with several more Marines and even more mortal kaerls preparing for the work.

"Lay down on the table," one that led him in said.

Harry gulped, but nodded and obeyed the command, pushing aside his fear he laid down on the table and almost immediately felt cold metal touching his skin. The next thing he felt was a light stinging sensation on his arm and then the world turned into darkness.

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N – As said before canon might be visiting the airlock and here most of the implantation and transformation process gets dumped out as in case of the Wolves its probably the most wasteful thing they could come up with. Canis Helix is important, but giving it before giving them anything else that could help them survive the transformation seems like a waste of perfectly good soldiers.**

 **The main change in what he undergoes is that the organs won't be implanted one after another like it was in the case of the Blackmane, but it will be more drawn out in time to let his body cope with the presence of new additions to it. And Canis will be given once he is comfortable and can use the first set of them, set that would help in managing the changes caused by the Canis if I'm completely honest.**

 **Rune Priests being exhausted by him, remember that they kept the illusion while at the same time giving him a guiding hand to see if he takes it and has any power to smash apart what he is showed.**

 **The Celestarch and her game, I think it is very obvious whom she hates and whom she plans to see as a decoration of the Aett, not that considering past actions of the Inquisition against her house it is a surprise. In the Wolfblade book that describes time when Ragnar was a Wolfblade it is stated in a very veiled form that the Inquisition tried to murder her at least once, murdered her predecessor and murdered one of Wolfblades.**

 **Iron Priests and their responsibilities – I know that in the canon Wolf Priests are responsible for recruiting new Aspirants and this part is the same. However I made it so that Iron Priests handle all of the transformation and implants as they work with machines and that's a necessity when for the Black Carapace you need to basically remove skin from a better part of the chest and abdomen and introduce this implant below. It doesn't mean that they don't take part in it, they take, but most of the work is done by Iron Priests as also that additional pair of hands can help them a lot. On the field of battle, Wolf Priests handle healing and so on and Iron Priest tinker with their beloved machines.**

 **Reviews:**

 _Warlord Fellhammer_ – from what I remember blanks never were in chapters of Marines, at least we don't know about them. The only chapter where they could be are the Black Templars as they lack any Librarians and don't use psychic powers, while in every other chapter they would knock out quite a lot of brothers and would be stopped by the Gate of Morkai where they test them with psychic powers.

 _moops –_ Hammerhand is a thing he must get, it's cool to see a Rhino being ripped open with bare hands and it would suit Wolves combat doctrine.

 _ww1990ww_ – You also missed twin Primarchs whose loyalties are somewhere and we don't know where and Sanguinius or Ferrus don't need to be dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – Don't ask me why I am publishing this chapter, I feel like writing this universe, so I write. Read, Enjoy and Review.**

 **o-0-o**

Harry groaned and blinked as he opened his eyes, the last thing he remembered was a stinging pain in his arm and now he felt as if his body was for him uncomfortable and was changing. "That's a normal feeling," someone said.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw an Iron Priest walk towards him, it was the first time he saw one of them without their helmets. This one had a mane of red hair and a couple of scars on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You just received an additional heart and organs that increase body growth," the Priest said and chuckled. "Combined with you hitting your puberty, well, you grow fast and you will feel very uncomfortable."

Harry looked at the Iron Priest as if he was crazy.

"I'm quite sane," the Priest chuckled. "Focus for a second and you should feel it beat."

Harry closed his eyes and focused only to hear even beating of a pair of hearts, one slightly behind the other. He opened them and looked at the Priest. "You are right," he said.

"Indeed," the Priest said and pointed at Harry's chest which was covered by a simple shirt. "Take off the shirt and you will see scars from the surgeries."

Harry removed the shirt and looked at the skin below only to see several scars that previously weren't there, he rubbed his hand against them and felt them ache him as something below them shifted and moved.

"They need to adapt to your body and your body needs to get used to them, so you will feel various weird aches and pains," the Priest said and Harry looked at him. "The good thing is that they were easily and fully accepted by your body and it won't reject them and you won't drop dead."

"I suppose that's good," Harry said, laughing mirthlessly.

"It is good, very good," the Priest said and gave him one more look. "I'll send a kaerl with food for you and the next few days you will spend here to ensure that the implantation went smoothly and no quirks show up."

Harry groaned, but nodded, shifting on the bed and trying to get a more comfortable position. The Priest left him alone and moments enter a kaerl entered carrying a large tray of food at the sight which Harry could feel his body grumble and demand it quite fiercely.

o-0-o

Ulrik looked at the Iron Priest that emerged from the chamber and waited with asking questions to let the Priest catch some breath. "How did his body reached to the changes?"

"Suprisingly well," Rustmane said. "None of the problems that can happen happened and all of the organs are working as they're supposed to do. By Russ, I don't know whom he is, but I want more of such Aspirants and it seems that this process is a lot more stable than the previous version."

"Good," Ulrik said and glanced towards the room where Harald was resting. "How soon should he be ready for some training and the next stage?"

The Priest frowned and was silent for a long moment. "Training, I will give him few days to get used to it and then some Wolf Guard can start his training. Next phase, we implanted all of them together, but then we also did it after Canis, I would give him time to turn thirteen or so and ensure that this is stable."

"Very well," Ulrik said. "I'll report to the Great Wolf that everything goes according to plan and I will suggest using it on all of our Aspirants."

o-0-o

After a week of laying in bed Harry felt as if he was going to explode from all of the energy that had gathered in his body. He didn't do anything of note excluding sleeping and eating and he could feel his body growing with each day and his mind was getting more and more stir crazy than he thought it was possible. When the Iron Priest entered, whom he learned was named Aevarr Rustmane, he looked at him, his green eyes filled with determination and desire to be out of the confinement.

"You will have soon an opportunity to stretch your legs," Iron Priest chuckled looking at him. "As long as everything is fine with your body and the implants you got are working, today you will start your training."

"Finally," Harry said as he sat up. "I won't be able to survive for much longer."

Aevarr chuckled and gave him a look before pulling some of his medical equipment, he fiddled for a moment with it before nodding and looking at him, a small smile on his lips. "You're as healthy as it is possible and your body seems to have no issues with the gifts it received."

"Can I get out of here?" Harry asked, his voice almost pleading.

"You can," Aevarr said and grasped Harry by his arm before he had a chance to bolt out of the room. "Don't overextend the body, it still adapts to the changes and organs responsible for your growth just started to kick in."

Harry nodded and hurried out of the room before he noticed that he didn't know where he was. "How do I get back to the part where's my room?" He asked, returning to Aevarr who just laughed.

"One of kaerls will show you the way," Aevarr said and at the same time one of the mortal servants of the chapter entered the room. "Take him to his quarters," the Priest said looking at the servant who bowed to him and then looked at Harry.

Harry followed the servant and quickly found himself in the parts of the Fang that were more familiar to him than the laboratories and medical facilities of the Iron Priests. He nodded to the kaerl in thanks, but before he had a chance to open door leading into the room he felt massive hand land on his shoulder.

He slowly turned around and came face to face with one of Ragnar's Wolf Guard, yet much to his surprise the Marine wasn't wearing his usual armor, but instead clothes from roughly woven cloth and leather with a head of the wolf stitched above his primary heart. "Come with me," he said. "Wolf Priest Ranek asked me to train you, so for the next few months you will train under me."

"Finally," Harry said as he walked after the Wolf Guard towards one of more private training yards.

"Everybody was as eager as you are when they started our training," the guard said and Harry looked at him. "Ragnar and I are from the same pack, Ranek recruited us after the battle in which we almost murdered each other."

Harry paused at those words and gave the guard a very long look as he tried to remember one bit of data he had heard from Ranek. "You're Strybjorn Grimskull," Harry finally said.

"Aye," Strybjorn nodded. "Even if Ragnar and I don't see eye to eye on certain things, he trusts me and according to him, I'm the only person he trusts not to murder you when training you."

"I see," Harry said as they entered a big chamber carved out inside of the Fang.

Strybjorn looked at Harry and smirked. "You seem so full of energy so we will start with fifty laps around the room," he said.

Harry looked at the room and later at the Wolf Guard. "That seems easy."

"We'll see once you're done," Strybjorn said.

Harry nodded and started quickly jogging around the perimeter of the room, first five laps he didn't even feel any strain, after fifteen he actually started to feel the blood flowing inside of his body as his hearts pumped it through the system much more effectively than a single one would manage. The first strain he started to feel after forty laps, but then it started to pile up quickly and by the fiftieth lap he was panting heavily and his whole body was drenched in sweat.

"Not bad," Strybjorn said and Harry looked at him. "That was more to see how well your body is developed and how much it can survive. Now, we will start true training," Strybjorn said, heftig a massive axe before throwing a smaller one to Harry. "Try to land a blow on me, everything we taught you is allowed."

Harry grasped the wooden handle of the axe and smirked as he looked at Strybjorn, his body slipping into the position hours of training managed to drill into his head.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar smiled as he watched the duel with Ranek and Ragnar, he rarely saw a Wolf Guard member so badly assaulted that he needed to back away as blade of an axe was swinging in front of his body, threatening to decapitate him if a single opening was found.

"He is good," Logan said. "I know that your Wolf Guard is not fighting at his fully capacity, but it is still impressive."

"Also the organs were fully accepted by his body and are developing as they are supposed to," Ranek added and paused. "We don't know how he will accept the rest of them, but we can assume that they will be positively accepted."

"When will Njal start training him in the ways of Runic Priests?" Logan asked. "He reported that he is a powerful one and the next visit from the Inquisition will get blasted from the sky if they come asking for him."

"Once he received Canis Helix," Ranek said. "Which should happen right after he gets the next set of the implants. We thought about it being given to him sooner, but notes were clear. Transform basic functions of his body and then give him Canis."

"Which can drive him mad and turn him into the Wulfen," Ragnar added quietly. "It almost managed to claim me during my trial."

"As it did to almost every single one of us," Ranek said and paused. "But that is the normal version, in the notes they suggested being more careful with the usage of it. It is a powerful mixture and we lose most of our Aspirants because of it."

"Now we started to lose less," Logan said and looked at Ranek. "You give them less?"

"Indeed," Ranek nodded. "You gave us an order to double the size of the chapter and we cannot afford to recruit more so we try to lose less."

"Makes sense," Ragnar said and focused on the duel where Strybjorn started to push back, showing his true strength and abilities. "He is about to lose."

o-0-o

Harry jumped out of the way of a strike that almost bisected him and stopped the next one with his axe before discovering that it was a feint and Strybjorn's foot connected with his chest before sending him flying backwards. He slammed into the stone wall of the room and groaned as his whole back was set aflame by the nerves that cried as everything was put under massive strain. He slipped onto the floor and axe escaped his grasp as he tried to ignore the pain from most of his body, yet it hurt much less than similar accidents during his past training. Then one such kick was enough to knock him out, here he was able to remain conscious and pain quickly went away. It felt as if his body was also getting tougher, not only bigger, but also much tougher.

"Seems that your organs started to work," Ranek said as he appeared from the shadows and lifted him to his feet. "Your bones normally would get shattered by this, one of your implants turns them into second layer of armor, layer of armor that will deflect most of small arms and slow down plenty of other things."

"Yet it still hurts like hell," Harry said as he looked at himself, trying to see if any was broken.

"Because they need time to grow and develop into the armor they become," Strybjorn said and looked at Ranek. "I knew that someone was watching us, but couldn't say who it was."

"I want to ensure that I didn't make any mistakes when choosing new Aspirants," Ranek said and looked at Harry. "Also I was curious how do you get used to the implants or first of many that you will get." Ranek looked at Strybjorn and then at Harry. "Return to training, I won't interfere more."

Harry groaned, but reached for his axe and grasped its handle before looking at Strybjorn who was grinning like a madman that enjoyed a good fight and wanted to push him to and beyond his limits.

o-0-o

Grandmaster looked at the idiot of an Inquisition Lord that didn't manage to get what he was supposed to get and was more or less spanked by the Great Wolf. At this Grandmaster shook his head, he should have expected that this paw would get chewed out and spat out, he realized that he should be grateful that the Wolves didn't turned the idiot into minced meat or slag. That would have partially solve one of his issues, what to do with Carrow.

"So they won't give away that boy?" he asked, looking at the young Lord Inquisitor.

"No, Grandmaster," Carrow said and swallowed. "They said that he is theirs and that they won't give him away. The Great Wolf threatened me with my fleet being blown to pieces and my head being taken as a trophy."

"The usual behavior of those savages," the Grandmaster said and added after a moment with some grudging respect. "Though you shouldn't even think of underestimating them as that's just an image they cultivate or at least most of them. The Great Wolf is one of the shrewest leaders among the Astartes, even if he is a brute and savage he is a dangerous one."

"Will we let them keep him?"

"No, we won't," the Grandmaster said. "But we need to back down and lay low. Even if the Wolves are savages, their allies are not and if we attack the Wolves we risk angering them and that's a thing we cannot afford."

"Whom did they get to support them?" Carrow asked and paused when he saw that the Grandmaster's face turned into an angry scowl. "Pardon me."

"Enough for you is to know that we lack any real way to fight them and their allies can disable what we can use from sources outside of the Inquisition," the Grandmaster said.

He felt bitter sensation at those words, he never expected to be outmaneuvered by a Navigator, a mutant of all things and a bunch of savage barbarians. He didn't know how did it happen, but Mechanicus more or less stated that they would disable any ships sent against Fenris and any they would be unable would be destroyed by them. While also stating that any other hostile action would be met with their disapproval and unhappiness.

That was a ball of bile he was willing to swallow, second that came from Titan was a much harder one. Grey Knights of all Chapters made an oath not to rise their arms against the Space Wolves and stated that they knew about the boy, yet believed that he should stay in Wolves' care and that any attempt to use them against him would end poorly.

He collected his stray thoughts and looked at Carrow. "I will have a mission for you, go to the Navigators Quarter and try to learn as much as you can about the House of Belisarius and what game are they playing."

"Of course, Grandmaster," Carrow said and with a bow of his head retreated from the luxurious office.

The Grandmaster slowly turned around and walked to one of the windows, he could feel that the situation was changing and someone else caught the reins of it and he was forced to play it on someone's else terms, not his. He couldn't tell who was the playmaker, but he could tell that whoever it was, they knew how to play the game and hide in the shadows and out of the eyes of the Inquisition.

o-0-o

Torin Wayfarer stood in front of the throne of the Celestarch and watched the room as a delegation from Mars arrived, he placed his hand on a handle of his chainsword and focused on them. In the lead was Fabricator Locum and that was an expected thing, however unexpected were things behind him. There were several heavy-duty servitors carrying massive crates and chests with several Tech-Priests nearby, watching over them and whatever was inside of those crates.

He muted out the greetings between his liege and the guests and actually focused when they moved past the ceremonies. He knew that his brothers were also watching and knew that he could take this risk.

"Lady Celestarch," Fabricator Locum said. "In the name of the Priesthood of Mars I bring gifts for you and the Chapter of Space Wolves, gifts that our repayment for that opportunity to inspect wonders of the technology that you have in your vaults. We believe that the discoveries we have made furthered our Quest For Knowledge and greatly pleased Omnissiah."

"We thank you for your generosity and we are pleased that we could help in your search for Knowledge," the Celestarch said and indicated the servitors behind the Fabricator. "I presume those crates bear gifts from you and the Priesthood?"

"Indeed," the Fabricator said and motioned for accompanying Priests to open the crates. "In the name of Cult Mechanicus I present for you a set of forty-eight Artificer Power Armors, each with a wrist mounted storm bolter and a set of three power weapons to choose from, an axe, a sword and a pair of lightning claws. I also present a set of six Tactical Dreadnought Armors of Cataphractii Pattern, each with a full set of weapons, a set of four Centurion Warsuits as well as all of the accompanying gear and finally a large variety of standard Astartes weaponry that was Master Crafted and its quality was ensured by the very best of our Priests."

As the weapons were listed Torin felt as he started to lose control of his jaw before it almost slammed into the marble floor of the throne room. Almost any chapter would murder them just to see those wonders, most was almost priceless and some of it he could tell was a unique work of the most skilled Priests.

"Thank you for your generosity," the Celestarch said. "I'm overwhelmed by the amount of gear, priceless one too, you offer to my bodyguards and I'm sure that the Great Wolf will feel similarly when he receives news of how well his fellow Wolves are treated."

The Fabricator nodded in thanks and Torin completely muted out the rest of the talk as he stared at the wonders that were slowly unpacked by the servitors and Priests. He could feel his whole body ache at the idea of using them.

o-0-o

Harry looked at his body and had troubles believing that what he was seeing was true, during past few months he grew up a lot, previously he stood at little over five feet, now he was over six feet and according to Iron Priests he had at least a feet to grow. However that wasn't the only change that had happened to him, his body also became bulkier and much more massive, as well as a lot stronger and tougher.

He gave himself one, last look in a mirror and followed a kaerl that was his guide into the lair of Iron Priests where next surgeries and implantations awaited him. He entered the same chamber he had before the first surgery and noticed a Priest wait for him.

"You know what to do," he said, his voice distorted by the helmet.

Harry nodded and quickly undressed, neatly folding his clothes and placing it his clothes in the box before looking at the Priest who nodded and motioned for him to follow him into the chamber beyond. Inside it happened the way it happened previously, he was told to lay on a table and soon after he felt a stinging pain in his arm and then blackness took him.

o-0-o

Several hours later Harry groaned as his eyes fluttered and almost immediately he closed them as bright, white light slammed into them. Much to his surprise he didn't feel as shitty as before and perhaps even better.

He sat up on the bed and almost immediately heard an Iron Priest walk to him. "How do you feel?"

"Certainly less shitty than I felt after the first one," Harry said and the Priest nodded.

"Tests didn't show any mutations or improperly working organs so you are free to go," the Priest said. "Once you leave the chamber you will meet one of Wolf Priests and you are to obey them."

Harry nodded and slipped of the bed before walking out of the chamber, the moment he crossed the doors of it he noticed Ranek standing in the middle of the corridor, a simple stone cup in his hands.

"This is the Cup of Wulfen," he said. "Once you drink it you will become one of the Wolves, come forth and drink it."

Harry wavered for a moment, unsure what to do, but then nodded and walked to Ranek who handed him the cup and he drank it hurriedly. As it flowed down his throat he felt weird metallic taste of it, once the cup was empty he handed it back to the Wolf Priest and looked at him.

"Now, come with me," Ranek said before leading him through a maze of corridors which led them to a landing platform where Thunderhawk waited for them. "Now begins the true trial of a Wolf," Ranek said as they boarded the craft. "You'll be taken into wilderness and you need to return to the Aett on your own."

Harry nodded and looked at a small bundle that laid in the corner of the compartment. "What's that?"

"Only gear you can use," Ranek said. "A knife and a flint and steel, the rest you need to get on your own."

Harry nodded and for the next several very long moments he sat in silence as the Thunderhawk flew into the wilderness. Finally after something that felt like an eternity it stopped and landed somewhere, once the ramp was opened and he stepped out of it, holding the bundle in his arms he could see that he was in a higher parts of a mountain range. And somewhere in the distance was the Aett, but where, only Russ knew.

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N:**

 **Mechanicus gift to the Navigators – traditional exchange of gifts in diplomacy, they were given A, so they need to repay with something of equal or greater value.**

 **Space Marines not wearing their armors all the time – it's the only logical choice, on board of ships or in combat there is no reason to remove it, but when they are on garrison or heart duty they don't need to keep their armor for the whole time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Another chapter, shorter than I wished, but it neatly wrapped itself.**

Harry let his eyes roam the landscape, below he could see some kind of forests and he knew from his training that it was the safest bet for him to survive and get something edible. From the forests his gaze slipped higher, towards the mountains, crevices, glaciers, jagged peaks and passes between them with wind howling over it and doing its best to suck out heat out of everything. He shuddered as a stronger blow of it slammed into him and made him shudder from cold.

Quickly gathering his wits and the gear he was given he started to make his way down the slope, into the lower parts of the mountain, high enough to have a good view of the surrounding area, but low enough to have close to the forest. Once on the border of the forest he paused and looked around, trying to spot above the mountains shape of his target, the Aett was huge and spotting it should be easy.

His eyes swept over the horizon covered in a thick layer of clouds that obscured most of his vision when he spotted a fang-like mountain grow between them. He squinted his eyes and the shape became somewhat clearer and it was just enough for him to identify it as his target.

"Troublesome," he muttered realizing he would need to circle quite a sizeable mountain range to get to his target.

He slipped between the trees, slowly walking forward as last dozens months of training flashed in front of his eyes, reminding him about threats and dangers lurking for any careless hunter. He could also feel something change in his body, as if something inside of him was waking, something powerful and dangerous. It felt to him like a gift and a curse, a thing he wanted to have, yet needed to control and show its proper place or it would overwhelm him. There was also something more that was happening inside of him, something that was changing his body, not mind.

He shook his head and focused on the task at hand, he needed to get some kind of a shelter and food as well as a source of water. The last of which was probably the most important one as he learned that without food his body could last few weeks, without water, days.

Moving through the forest he kept looking around for water and some relatively safe place for night, yet he constantly felt as if something large and dangerous was trailing him and wanted him as its meal. He glanced backwards but spotted nothing, which put those feelings to some rest, but they were still deep there. It felt to him as if it was a new sense that screamed whenever he was in danger.

Next several hours he spent moving lower down the slope into parts of the mountains that should be less deserted and also full of things he needed. He spotted a stream and approached it cautiously, his hand on a handle of a knife, ready to draw the weapon and kill anything that could jump out of the foliage and snow. It also made his mind tell him that trolls and several other of the nastier predators loved such spots as everything needed water.

He felt gravel crunch under his feet as he slipped onto the bank of the stream before kneeling and slowly drinking the water. It was cold, really cold, but it at least quenched thirst and allowed him to focus on other goals. Mainly on getting back to the Aett and surviving the process. He stood up and crossed the stream before following it and getting into even lower parts of the mountain range.

He was about to climb onto the tree that he spotted as a shelter for a night when he heard a loud howl right behind him. He barely managed to turn around before a massive Blackmane wolf slammed into him and pushed into the bark of the tree. He managed to move his head in time and luckily avoided set of massive jaws from killing him or at best maiming severely.

He looked at the beast and smirked before coiling his legs and delivering a powerful kick to the wolf's abdomen that made it jump away, snarling and growling. More in annoyance than anything else. Harry used this precious moment to scramble to his feet and pull his knife out of the scabbard before looking at the wolf.

"Come to me," he said, crouching and keeping the knife in front of him.

Wolf snarled and bared its fangs before hurling itself at Harry and making him shift to prepare for the additional weight that was flying towards him. He was pushed back by the force of the impact, but the wolf didn't tackle him and didn't have any opening. Harry winced as he felt claws of the wolf leave cuts across his shoulders and arms, but he ignored it and used the moment to plunge the knife deep into the chest of the beast.

The wolf let out a whining sound of pain and at this Harry twisted the knife in the wound and slowly pulled out as warm blood of the wolf flowed out of the wound and onto his hand. It felt weird for him to kill something for the first time, he looked at the wolf and saw that it was dead at which he pushed carcass onto its side and went about skinning it and getting something that could work as a protection from wind and cold.

Next several moments were bloody, unpleasant and nasty for him, he needed to remove the skin of the wolf, preferably without tearing it too badly and then get whatever he needed out of the carcass. Mainly meat of the animal, he considered an idea of using sinews to tie his knife to a branch to get a spear, but he shook his head at the idea the moment he realized that his knife was more or less a small sword and he felt much more comfortable having greater freedom of moves.

As the sun fully hid behind the horizon and even the last, hopeless rays of warmth were gone with it Harry climbed onto the tree he chose for himself and wrapped in the fur he got of the wolf went to sleep. It was his first night in the mountains, he knew that he achieved quite a lot, but he also knew that a lot more was ahead of him. Also in terms of distance he didn't get much closer to the Fang, he slipped into the regions traversing through which was easier, faster and safer, but the target was as far away from him as it was when he started.

o-0-o

Torin marveled at the craftsmanship of the armor and looked at the storm bolter mounted to his wrist and the flexed his finger, activating the firing mechanism and watched with some satisfaction as the bolter barked and spewed out a stream of destruction that chewed into targets on the other end of the training yard. He emptied whole clip and with another move of his hand it was ejected out of the weapon. He slammed into its place a full one and looked at Valkoth. "That's a gear I can have."

"And they will be sending the rest of the Blades in few days," Valkoth said and paused. "Though there will be just twenty-three of them, instead of twenty-four we need to fill the ranks."

"I wonder for whom they keep the spot open," Torin said and mused. "I think we both know whom he is and why do they do what they do."

Valkoth paused cleaning of his own storm bolter and looked at Torin. "Him? They want to send him here right after the end of training?"

"I think it is quite obvious," Torin said and Valkoth looked at him. "Harald is a member of household and was adopted into the house, one of its lesser branches, but still he is a member of the house. And having a Space Marine of any kind be a member of the house, even if an adopted one, brings prestige and honor to the family."

"I suppose," Valkoth said and grumbled. "Hot-headed Blood Claw as a Wolfblade won't work all that well, even with Ragnar we had troubles and he was a lot older when he first joined and by that point he should have been a Grey Hunter."

"I would cut him some slack," Torin said, making Valkoth look at him. "If he was an average Fenrisian, I would question wisdom of this decision, but we train in warfare and killing since the moment when we can walk. He is from Terra and he showed that he can think, which most of the Fenrisian lack before lunging into combat like a reckless warrior. And he was always a weird one, in a way that I cannot explain, so he might be an even better than we think."

"Perhaps," Valkoth said and smirked in a way that didn't make Torin feel well. "In any case, when he gets here, you will explain to him everything and you will ensure that he doesn't do some stupid thing."

Torin gave Valkoth a look, but then nodded and looked towards the targets at the end of the training yard and once again flexing his hand and activating firing mechanism he watched with satisfaction as bolter shells tore through the target.

o-0-o

Harry looked around the mountain pass as he started to make his way through the snow that was to his knees. Last few days were a slow and a very painful trek for him, he avoided any more large predators, the likes of that blackmaned wolf he had killed on his first night. However without those dangers it was still a problem, he needed to get some food, decent shelter for the night, get himself warm and find some water so that he wouldn't died from it or multitude of things that just waited for his mistakes.

As he walked for those days he felt something wild and powerful wake up inside of him, something that had a mind on his own and could help him or overwhelm him if given the slightest opening. He also felt changes happen to his body, his previously longish hair grew a bit and got even messier than they were, but that wasn't as obvious to him as other changes. Mainly his senses becoming much keener and canines growing much larger than normal.

He sniffed the air and felt as if he was almost overwhelmed by the amount of new sensations his sense of smell was able to provide. He previously was able to recognize just the strongest smell, now he could detect all manners of things and the world felt to him richer, much richer than it used to be. Previously it was bland and lacking sensations, now sensations were almost too much, but he also felt the world live around him.

He pushed through the snow and with each step he could feel that he was finally getting closer to the Aett which was becoming more and more visible. He let out a small breath of relief when he realized that he was maybe a day or two away from his goal. Soon he would be able to sleep in a warm and comfortable bed for as long as he wished, but first he would need to take a long, soothing and lazy bath so that he wouldn't stink of a dead wolf and unwashed body. Also there was the fact that for the first time in ages he would be able to get a civilized meal that he didn't need to make.

As he descended down the pass he felt some new energy enter his body, previously he felt as if the cold and the weather sucked out of him every single sliver of heat and warmth. While now he wanted to move faster through the snow and get to the target as soon as possible and be done with this trial that made him curse every single thing he could name.

o-0-o

Patrolling approaches to the Fang, especially when blizzards were rolling across the countryside was one of the least liked duties and was usually given to those that committed some minor crime or annoyed one of those in power. Who happily assigned people to it as a punishment or in case of Blood Claws to try to learn something from older warriors.

Lukas the Trickster used his hand to cover his eyes from the worst of the blizzard and scannée the terrain ahead of him, then his gaze darted to a group of Blood Claws that was trying to be as small as possible and hide out of the way of the wind. He laughed at their forms and swept his eyes over the horizon, there was something amiss and he could feel it in his bones.

"Move," he barked an order at the Claws. "There's something coming and we better check what it is."

They gave him dirty looks, but surrendered to his will and emerged from their hiding spots before slowly moving forward. He slipped into a position ahead of them and after passing several dozen meters he squinted his eyes as he saw a dark shape move towards them. He raised his hand in a signal that halted the advance of the Claws and waited.

He could feel them get restless and confused behind him as they stood in the snow, weapons in hands and unable to tell what was his reasoning behind the order. He ignored it and instead focused on the shape that was getting closer. While previously it was something black, now he could tell that it was something humanoid and that made him curious, no Wolf was reported to be outside of the Fang hunting and there weren't too many other possibilities of humanoid beings so close to the fortress.

"No, that's not impossible," Lukas said and looked at the Claws behind him. "Do not fire, just stay where you are."

It could be just the single thing, but nobody expected that he would survive, he was dumped in a place where planet should have killed him. Apparently the Great Wolf wanted to test if the new implantation process worked and decided to drop that poor soul into the worst hell they could find. Lukas walked forward and saw an Aspirant walking towards him, his body wrapped in a fur of a massive wolf.

Lukas looked at the Aspirant and then tapped his ear, activating his communicator. "We have an Aspirant," he said once the link was established and Machine Spirits were happy. "I don't know how by the Russ he got here in the blizzard, but he is here and might need medical help. Also he brings a nice pelt of a wolf."

"Understood," came reply after few seconds. "Iron Priests will be ready to take care of him once he is inside, you are allowed to carry him into the Aett if need be."

Lukas nodded and tapped it twice in quick succession to tell them that he understood the command and walked towards the Aspirant before holstering his plasma pistol and deactivating lethal energy field around his lightning claws.

"You passed the trial," Lukas said as he approached the Aspirant before letting him support himself on his massive frame. "The Chapter knows about it and I'm allowed to help you."

The Aspirant smiled at it and shifted most of his weight onto Lukas who didn't even felt it, but it allowed him to take a better look at the Aspirant. He was exhausted and there were several nasty wounds to his legs, probably from meeting with wolves or some rocks hidden below the snow. But other than that he was whole and not injured, which was a small miracle from the Allfather and an even bigger one was the fact that he didn't even show the many changes caused by the Wulfen. Hair were wild, dirty and would require some work, canines longer and eyes a bit lupine, but other than that the Aspirant passed this transformation without any changes and then Lukas realized that he knew this boy. It was the same one as one that was spotted by Ragnar and Lukas remembered training him in some martial arts.

"Harry," Lukas said softly and Harry looked at him. "Aspirants normally aren't dumped into that part of Asaheim and you will be greeted like if you did some exceptional, because you did. Just don't freak out when you will be treated like some future great leader and tell the servants to make you a cloak out of the pelt you had got."

Lukas saw Harry nod and knew that this was probably the most he would get, exhaustion, pain and injuries took toll on everybody and it would take time before Harry would be ready to talk and more importantly had the energy for it. He fell silent and more or less dragged the boy towards the Aett, when they passed place where the pack of Claws waited, he stopped and gave them a look. "Move in the pattern you know from training," he said. "I'll deliver him to the Aett and get back to you, if I find you not doing your duties you will be praying to Russ that I will just mention your behavior to your Sargeant."

Lukas smiled to himself when he saw the Claws hurry to do their duties and disappear into the blizzard, while letting him drag Harry the last few hundred meters in peace and with no need to look over his shoulder to ensure those idiots would be doing their job. He smiled when in front of them appeared almost perfectly straight wall with gates that were opening as they approached.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar saw the Aspirant return to the Aett and almost immediately being helped by an Iron Priests. He looked at it and then switched his gaze to Ulrik. "He survived the trial," he said with grudging respect.

"Aye, he did," Ulrik said and looked at his liege. "Since he survived it I will tell Njal to start training him as his body matures and we can finish his transformation into a Wolf. Transformation that will take him several more years of training and growing up."

"I know," Logan said and let out a low growl. "At least the Inquisition cannot take him away from the chapter, which would greatly displease me if it was allowed to happen."

Ulrik nodded and it was then when he noticed that the thing in which Harry was covered was a massive pelt of a wolf. "By Russ, he managed to slay a blackmaned wolf and got its pelt."

"And a healthy one, too," Logan added and Ulrik nodded.

"Aye, he is marked for greatness and deeds that will be remembered in our sagas. The rune on his forehead should have told me that he was blessed by the Allfather and Russ, but now I know that. Njal only confirmed that with the test he did and the fact that his soul is as pure as it can be."

Logan nodded and with one, last look at Ulrik stalked away, there were things he needed to consider and ones that required his immediate attention.

o-0-o

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes and felt that he laid on something so soft that he had troubles believing that it was possible. It took for his mind several long moments to discover where it was and that it was in the Aett, in one of Healing Halls and that the trial was done. He looked around and quickly noticed Ranek walking to him.

"Yes, you passed your trial," he said and Harry smiled, his eyes shining with pride. "Now you have time to rest and once that's over we will get back to your training and further transformation. But now get rest and recuperate from the trial."

"How long?"

"Until you are allowed to leave," Ranek said and added with a thin smile. "You received organs derived from our Primarch and because of that we don't want to see you dying for no reason. So you need to stay here as long as we deem it necessary."

Harry grumbled in disagreement, but Ranek ignored it and left him. Not long after that Harry's exhaustion once again slammed into his body and letting out a loud yawn he returned back to sleep.

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N – End of yet another chapter, next one will wrap up Harry's training and will maybe reveal some of his psychic powers, but mostly his training, greater Imperium and perhaps some pointy eared bastards will make an appearance.**

 **Harry and his worth to the chapter – until he received his implants, not many would give a shit about his survival. Now he has parts of their gene seed and the rest is on its way, so nobody wants to waste him as that's too big of a hit**

 **Reviews:**

OBSERVER01 – _I like your review and some might spawn some plot bunnies for me, so here is more in depth._

 _Things where due to conditioning and training he would be turned into another set of numbers:_

 _Assassins and the Grey Knights(I have respect for them, a lot, but their training wipes out part of Aspirants minds and basically writes them from scratch. Assassins, similar reasons.)_

 _Where he could flourish:_

 _AM – probably one of the best places to him, especially if he ends on Mars, in canon he is shown to be at least somewhat bright and intellect is a thing that could help him there. He probably could get to some higher rank rather easily and quickly._

 _Space Marines as a whole – as long as their training doesn't destroy the mind and they aren't a truly monastic order, he should have a successful career. He also due to his past has hate or at least distaste of authorities above him and in a structure where your advancement in ranks is based on merits, not age, he will don't feel it that badly and in the Wolves he has a hierarchy based on personal strength and that's a thing he can understand._

 _Rogue Traders – hell yes_

 _Creed – he would give him a chance to flourish and if he was able to motivate Harry to work, Lord Solar Macharius v2?_

 _Not listed here, but one I kinda considered is the Inquisition, Malleus or Hereticus._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – And finally someone becomes a true Space Wolf, also some plotting that may cause few people to ask me if I'm insane or not and stuff moves forward.**

 **o-0-o**

Past two years were hell for Harry as he was mercilessly trained by Strybjorn, Egil and several other of Ragnar's Wolfguard whenever Ragnar's Great Company was staying at the Aett. During interludes between those periods his education in martial arts was handled by one of the Sargeants that tried to educate, Blood Claws, the most reckless and foolish part of the chapter. However that was just third of the training he needed to survive. The rest was evenly spread between academic education, handled by the machines that deposited knowledge inside of his mind and it was up to him how he sorted it and how to digest it and individual training with the Stormcaller. Even if they were hell and he spent most of his day on those activities he had something like half of a day for himself and while most of it he spent sleeping and letting his body recharge, however the rest of the time he spent discovering the Aett and enjoying the company of female kaerls that seemed very willing to flirt with him and few were even willing to go with him into his quarters.

At those memories he blushed furiously, they were awkward and embarrassing, but he needed to admit that he enjoyed what they did. He saw Njal arch an eyebrow at it and he quickly sent those thoughts away, one of the first lessons beaten into his skull by the old rune priest was simple. Mind shall stay disciplined when using any of the powers he possessed and that any thoughts that could distract him shouldn't have any place in his mind.

"Do it again," Njal said and indicated thick bar of adamantium placed between them.

Harry nodded and closed his eyes before focusing on his rage, anger, pain and unleashing it and then swiftly channelling into his arms and hands. He felt the power course through his muscles, reinforcing them and giving more power, power that he needed for the task ahead of him. He grasped the bar of adamantium with his bare hands and started to slowly tear it apart, the metal groaned and protested, but finally gave up under the strain.

He dropped pieces of metal onto the ground and looked at his hands, fait glimmer of power dancing over his skin. It felt as if he could tear anything he needed to and nothing would stop him. He flexed his fingers and looked at Njal. "That. Was. Awesome."

"Aye," Njal nodded and smiled. "A very useful gift to have and one that can save lives of your brothers on the field of battle."

"I can see that," Harry said as he looked at the metal with some wonder and shock. "I still cannot believe that it can be done."

"It can be done," Njal said and placed another bar of adamantium in front of Harry. "Again."

Harry gave his mentor a dirty look, but then nodded and focused on the task.

o-0-o

The Grandmaster looked at Carrow and frowned. "You spent three years in the Quarter and didn't learn a single thing?" He slowly asked, making the younger Inquisitor wince and inch away from him.

"Not exactly, Grandmaster," Carrow said. "I learned that the amount of Wolfblades that's serving as bodyguards to the House of Belisarius was doubled, yet one spot is still opened and apparently they wait for someone to finish the training and fill it."

"Peculiar, peculiar," the Grandmaster muttered and nodded. "Did you learn something more?"

"They are receiving equipment, a lot of it, straight out of the forges of Mars. Master crafted bolters, power weapons, Artificer Armor, Terminator Armors, Centurion Warsuits."

The Grandmaster reached for a goblet he had to his side and slowly sipped the wine as he tried to compose and calm himself. "How sure are you that those are legit pieces of data?"

"Unfortunately as sure as I can be," Carrow said. "I was able to see Mechanicus delivering four Cataphractii pattern armors."

The Grandmaster felt himself losing control over his body for a brief second before he managed to once again claim it. Those events were worrying, he could use normal zealots to deal with normal Space Marines, but against Terminators and Centurions they would get slaughtered and the only question was how gory and brutal it would be. To deal with those heavy armors he would need to give zealots heavy weapons and that could be a problem, even bigger if a good Tech-Priest could take a look at them. He weighted his options and then looked at Carrow, plan forged in his mind.

"I want you to expand the net of zealous followers of the Cult Imperialis that will be willing to give their life in the name of the Emperor," the Grandmaster said. "Tell them when the time is right they will be allowed to prove their zeal and piety by assaulting the Quarter and cleansing it from the mutants that now live within."

Carrow's eyes narrowed in question. "But the Navigators are vital to the Empire and without them we won't be able to travel between the stars."

"They will be fine," the Grandmaster said. "I just need something bloody enough to make an argument out of it to remove the Wolves from Terra and possibly get the one we want in our hands."

"The Great Wolf told me that the boy is theirs and that the next such attempt will end with violence."

"What Grimnar doesn't know, doesn't hurt him," the Grandmaster said. "If they don't find the body, they will assume he is dead and we can have him just for our needs and plans."

"I see," Carrow said and bowed his head. "If the Grandmaster allows it I will leave him alone and start preparing the zealots."

The Grandmaster dismissively waved his hand and focused on his own thoughts. What he was doing was a gamble, it was a difference between a salvation for the Imperium and its doom. That boy was too precious to be left in the hands of the crude savages from Fenris, he needed proper education that only the Inquisition could provide him with.

o-0-o

The Black Library, the most secretive of the Eldar craftworlds moved silently through the Webway, its mission sacred and possibly crucial to the salvation of the galaxy from the clutches of Chaos. On board of the Library was hidden the biggest collection of texts and lore concerning Chaos, its nature and foul intends for the galaxy and its inhabitants.

Ethereal silence filled its corridors when suddenly it was broken by the sound of pages quickly turning and moving on its own. It immediately caused a reaction from an individual dressed in a colorful outfit with a bright orange mohawk on its head and a set of graceful, alien looking weapons strapped to his body, a sword at its side and a pistol in a holster.

It was one of the Rillietann, more commonly known among the servants of the Imperium as Harlequins, Eldars that followed the Laughing God also known as Cegorach and held no allegiance to any other organized structure within the society of Eldar. He walked into the room where the book that caused the disturbance was and looked around.

It was a plain, circular room with walls grown out of wraithbone, same material that was used in the making of his weapons. In the middle was a simple pedestal with a book placed on it. Pages of the said book were flipping quickly and the Harlequin frowned at the sight. He stalked towards it like a cat and waited for them to calm down. Once they stopped he smoothed out one that remained visible and took a good look at it.

"Interesting," he muttered. "The herald of the Wolf King walks the stars and return of his master will announce the beginning of a new age. So the Mon-keigh might have some use for us."

He walked out of the chamber and felt a shiver of fear pass through his body at the sight of one of the cloaked and hooded Guardians that floated past him. If the events were moving in that direction perhaps it was a time to help the Wolf King and his loyal guards emerge out of the Warp and into the material universe.

o-0-o

Valkoth shifted uncomfortably as he entered the throne room of the Celestarch and then kneeled at the prescribed distance from her throne before bowing his head in a sign of submission to her.

"Did you summon me, M'Lady?" He asked.

"I did," she said, her voice as smooth as velvet. "I normally don't interfere in how the Wolfblades are chosen or who is being sent, however I decided to use a prerogative given to the Celestarch in the agreement signed between our house and your chapter. It allows me to choose a single person to be sent here as a Wolfblade and I decided to request that Harald Belisarius once he finishes his training is to be sent here to guard me."

Valkoth was silent for a moment, carefully gathering his thoughts. "I understand your wish, Lady Celestarch and I will notify the Great Wolf that you request Harald as a bodyguard to you. However he won't be available right once his training ends as before that he will need to be fully inducted into the ranks of the chapter."

"We understand that and we allow the chapter to adhere to all of the necessary customs and rites, yet our wish remains unchanged. As soon as he is done with them he is to be send to be a bodyguard for us."

"Of course, I understand that and the Great Wolf will, but I needed to ensure that you remember about the fact that there are rules, rites and customs of our chapter that are sacred to us and cannot be ignored."

The Celestarch nodded and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, letting him know that he was no longer needed. He bowed his head and without any more words walked out of the room, his superiors needed to be notified about this.

o-0-o

Harry looked at his torso and frowned, the Black Carapace certainly looked weird and felt even weirder or better when in bed with a lover. He could see in his skin several places where weird black circles were formed. He knew that they were nerve interfaces that helped his body communicate with the power armor, but it looked and felt weird. He touched one and felt a jolt of energy snap through his body.

Before he had a chance to play much with them into the room entered an Iron Priest with a trail of servitors following him and carrying pieces of power armor. Pieces that once connected would be like second skin to him.

"Good that you are ready," the Iron Priest said and gave his body covered in body fitting black suit a single look. "All of the interfaces are visible, so it should go smoothly. Stand straight, spread your legs and arms and don't move."

Harry nodded and shifted into the position the Priest wanted, knowing well that even if it wasn't formulated as an order, it was one and disobedience was not a trait liked from the Aspirants.

Iron Priest nodded and took from the servitors two heavy plates that formed the breastplate and backplate of the armor. Then he positioned them on Harry's torso and once he was sure that there was a connection between the body and the systems of armor his cybernetic arms went to work. They connected plates to each other and then slowly ensured that seals were perfect and wouldn't be broken.

At this Harry felt a strange feeling, he felt as if someone just added a second layer of skin onto his body. It was a very interesting experience that he wasn't quire ready for, however before he had a chance to do much the Iron Priest quickly put on the rest of plates and in his hands remained a helmet with the faceplate shaped to resemble a head of a wolf.

"Try to move your hand," he said and Harry nodded, moving his hand and watching in wonder as he didn't feel even the slightest strain caused by the armor. "Good, really good," the priest said and handed him the helmet. "Put it on and think about sealing the armor."

Harry took the helmet and put it on, once his head was inside, in front of his eyes showed up hundreds of displays covered in data he could have needed. He thought about sealing the armor and then he felt a soft click and few runes blinked showing that he was sealed away from the world. He thought again and the lock was released.

"Good, the seal holds and Machine Spirits are happy," the Priest said and gave him a piece of rock. "Try squeezing it until it is changed to dust."

Harry took the stone and gently squeezed his fingers around it, he felt the stone resist the force and groan under the pressure.

"Enough," the Iron Priest said and before Harry could say anything he felt one of the cybernetic arms connect to his armor and modify it. "Try again."

Harry once again flexed his hand around the stone and this time felt the stone groan and creek under the pressure before finally giving up and turning into fine dust that slipped between Harry's fingers.

"That's better," the Priest said and looked at him. "You are free to leave and enjoy the time before being sworn in as the member of the Space Wolves."

o-0-o

Ragnar Blackmane entered the Chamber of the Annulus and paused when he saw just the Great Wolf inside. "Great Wolf, did you summon me?"

"Aye, I did," Logan said and Ragnar shifted into more relaxed pose. "It relates to one that you have found on Terra, he is ready to be inducted into the chapter and will you keep your oath to take him for your company?"

"Aye, I will," Ragnar said. "I want to promote him straight into my Wolf Guard."

"Very well," Logan said and Ragnar looked at him. "Tomorrow there's swearing in ceremony for other Blood Claws that are ready, he will be sworn in during it and then you can swear him in as a member of your Wolf Guard."

"Of course," Ragnar said. "If I may know, who will be swearing them in?"

"I will do it," Logan said and Ragnar looked at him in some surprise. "I'm also a Wolf Lord if you have forgotten. The fact that I don't use it, doesn't mean that I don't have this position."

"I understand, Great Wolf," Ragnar said and bowed his head in a sign of submission. "If that is all I will leave you and attend to some other matters. Ones that require my rather imminent attention."

Logan grunted something in acknowledgement and Ragnar took it as a sign to leave the old wolf alone.

o-0-o

Harry followed the stream of new Blood Claws into the Great Hall of the Fang, he felt his mind getting into the mood of the event. The day when he would become a true member of the chapter and effect of last five years of heavy work, work that he wanted to curse at times, but now he could see the effects of it.

Upon entering the Great Hall he quickly noticed massive changes in decor, tables normally used for feasting were pushed to the sides of the room leaving middle of it empty and in the place of the high table there was placed sixteen thrones roughly carved out of wood. All of them was covered with pelts of wolves, however over one was also draped a piece of black cloth.

"All of those lost to the Warp and the Thirteenth Company," Harry whispered as they were led into the Hall.

It was then when he realized that whole chapter had gathered for the ceremony and that there were thousands of battle-brothers forming companies and standing in even ranks. At the head of each company was Wolf Guard, followed by the Long Fangs, then Grey Hunters and finally Blood Claws. They were led down the open corridor formed between the ranks of the companies and the Champion of the Great Wolf stopped them once they reached the thrones. There he stopped and in front of the middle throne he turned around and looked at them.

"Form into a line," he barked out.

They obeyed his order and the moment it was done doors placed in the side of the chamber opened and through them entered whole leadership of the chapter. At the lead walked the Great Wolf and much to Harry's surprise he was followed by the leaders of the Priesthoods of Fenris, not the Wolf Lords. Those walked slightly behind and seemed to keep a respectful distance from their liege.

"Kneel," the champion barked the moment the Great Wolf took his place.

There was heard a bit rustling as they knelt on the rough stone floor of the Hall, their heads not covered by helmets and their eyes boring into the floor and avoiding the gaze of a man that was soon to become their new liege lord.

"Do you swear fealty to the Allfather?" the Great Wolf asked, his voice deep and grumbling, as if a mountain was speaking through him.

A roar of confirmation left their throats once the oath formula was pronounced by their liege. "We do!"

"Do you swear to defend the Imperium from, both internal and external enemies?"

"We do!"

"Do you swear to protect citizens of the Imperium and come to the help of those that cannot protect themselves?"

"We do!"

"Do you swear fealty to the chapter and to its leaders?"

"We do!"

At those words Logan Grimnar rose from his throne and walked towards them, his massive frame easily towering them and making them feel like children when facing their parent. "By the power passed to me from my predecessors and to them from the Russ who received it from the Allfather, I accept you into the ranks of the Vlka Fenryka."

"Rise and welcome to the chapter," Arjac said and Harry was about to rise when he saw Arjac look at him. "Harald Belisarius, remain where you are as your oaths are not done."

Harry wanted to ask questions when he saw Ragnar walk towards him, the Young King looking as regal and powerful as the Great Wolf. He stopped in front of Harry and looked at him. "Do you swear to give your life to protect me in the thick of combat?"

Harry swallowed at those words as he realized it was Wolf Guard oath, but then nodded and said clearly. "I do."

"Do you swear to avenge me in case of my death?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to be a good advisor to me and to speak what you think is right?"

"I do."

"Then I, Ragnar Blackmane, name you a member of my Wolf Guard," Ragnar said and added after the moment. "Rise and join their ranks."

Harry smiled and stood up before walking to the ranks of the Wolf Guard from Ragnar's company that moved to the side and made a space for him amongst their ranks. What followed next was a huge feast during which he consumed so much food and drinks that he had troubles believing that it was possible. When he stumbled back into his quarters he slammed onto his bed and fell asleep, too tired to do anything else.

o-0-o

Stormwolf dropped them at the end of a softly lowering valley that led into a cave placed between two massive arms of one of the numerous mountain ranges that covered the Asaheim. As they formed into a formation Harry had troubles believing that the fact that he was a member of Wolf Guard was true. Those doubts grew even stronger as he looked at the warriors which made the pack to which he was assigned, all were old and extremely experienced and under overall command of Strybjorn. Even if they numbered just ten with him, he could feel that they were able to defeat whole armies.

"Stay close to me," Strybjorn said as he approached Harry. "I know that you were good when training, but true combat is different and you might do something foolish."

Harry nodded and checked his gear, he carried with himself a power axe and a bolt pistol, two weapons that he came to adore during training and which were accessible to him. He gave a quick look at the rest of the pack and they had a collection of various power weapons and bolters.

"We check it, see what's the reason for the interference we have gotten and what had spooked Blood Claws that were around and if we meet some foes we deal with them," Strybjorn said and they nodded. "Move out, Egil, Leif, Hrolf you lead."

Three Wolf Guard named by Strybjorn nodded and moved forward while the rest of the pack fell into positions behind them. As they approached the mountain Harry felt some slight tingling sensation, feeling he was taught to associate with the usage of Warp and its powers. He briefly sniffed the air, yet he didn't feel nothing out of ordinary.

"Did you find something?" Strybjorn asked and Harry looked at him.

"Something related to Warp," Harry said and paused at the expression of the older warrior. "It could have been something old or not, I cannot tell what it is or who used it."

"That changes matters," Strybjorn said and Harry looked at him. "If you feel anything stronger tell me immediately, I already ran into the Thousand Sons in those caves or similar ones and I don't want that accident to happen."

Harry nodded as they entered the cave, air was stale and smelled with something bad, something he couldn't describe, yet it irked his senses. He quickly muttered a prayer to the Primarch and sent his psychic senses in all directions. Yet he didn't find anything and somewhat relaxed as they descended lower into the cave system.

They walked through the caves for over an hour when Strybjorn signalled all of them to stop and tapped his ear. Harry nodded at this sign and closed his eyes breathing in and out as he heard very soft sounds behind and in front of them.

"Footsteps," Egil spat as he grasped his flamer and looked around. "A group is behind us and second is directly in front of us."

"Aye," Strybjorn grimly said. "Fucking infestation of those mountains never ends. We fight our way to the surface and call for aid."

Harry nodded and checked his weapons before they started make their way out of the caves. This mission just got a lot more interesting and dangerous, at which he could feel his wolf howl in excitement and joy.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Things added into the story:**

 **Ability to choose whoever they want as a Wolfblade – that's a thing any thinking ruler will write into any agreement signed by him. It allows him to deal with situation when they need more firepower than allowed by the law.**

 **Swearing in ceremony – those things were always loud and important in almost any society and public character allowed for loud and long celebrations. Recalling the whole chapter, thing that would make it even stronger and more important.**

 **Harry's weapons – once with the Wolfblades he will use something else, but he needs something that allows him to have some firepower and decent weapon to cut his enemies to pieces. Also a small reminder for those that don't follow Space Wolves lore so closely – Wolfblades and Wolf Guard can use any weapon they wish. Technically Harry could decide to go out in a Terminator Armor, but he lacks the training and Strybjorn would punch him through several walls for stupidity.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – You may say that a certain arc closes with this chapter and another one starts. Harry has an opportunity to show some of the skills he had picked up during the training and plotting gets more and more intense.**

 **o-0-o**

Harry checked his weapons as he ran after Strybjorn, looking at every hole and opening, expecting enemies to pop out of every hole and then it happened. A wave of terribly misfigured beings appeared in front of them. The first and only warning that he had that the combat started was a roar of a flamethrower held by Egil.

As the flames erupted ahead of him Harry could finally truly see their foes, they were warped by the mutations caused by Chaos and armed into primitive weapons made out of stone and wood. Before he could think much training forced into him took over and pulling the bolt pistol out of the holster he squeezed the trigger and watched in satisfaction as projectiles flew through the air and slammed into their target. Bodies exploded as bolter fire ripped them to shreds with fountains of gore painting everything around in blood and pieces of torn tissue.

Harry watched it with some shock and surprise, he knew that bolter rounds were able to rip ferrocrete to shreds, but seeing them do the same with flesh was something else. He shook his head and firmly grasping power axe he charged into combat. He bared his fangs as he let out a feral howl, his wolf spirit howling in joy at the bloodshed and encouraged him to fight harder.

He slammed the axe into the first mutant that found itself on his path and the blade crackled with power as it effortlessly sliced the flesh and bones below it before coming out of the body on the other side of it and hungrily diving into the one right behind the first one.

What followed next was short, brutal and vicious fight, too short for Harry's taste as soon after he dug his weapons into the first mutant he was done with combat. Their bodies shredded, ripped to pieces and burned all around him and the rest of the Wolf Guard, while gore and bits of tissue covered their armors.

"No shamans," Strybjorn said looking at the corpses and then at the tunnel behind them. "Harald, you will stay with me in the rear, the rest move ahead of us and be ready to support us."

They nodded and started to move, Harry fell into place to the side of Strybjorn and focused on his psychic powers, hoping to learn about the enemies before they would be upon them. However excluding the annoying tingling sensation he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, he glanced at Strybjorn and saw that the older wolf was calm and concentrated on the task.

Harry almost saw the natural light enter the cave when the wave of monsters came from behind, almost taking them by surprise. He barely managed to turn around as the first creatures emerged from behind obstacles and hidden holes. At this Strybjorn let out a loud howl and lunged into combat, his massive form smashing into the frail and weak bodies of mutants. Harry looked at his commander carve a bloody path through the foes and was almost ready to jump after him when he saw something that made him pause. Above the mutants were floating several more of them on large disks with weapons that pulsed with the energy of the Warp.

Harry snarled and pulled his pistol out of its holster before firing at the closest one. His snarl became even louder when all of the bullets either bounced off or missed completely. He considered reloading his bolter and emptying another clip into the shamans, but then an idea came into his mind. He pointed his hand in the direction of the shamans and spreading his fingers channeled the energy of the Warp through them. What followed next was several lightning bolts separating from his fingers and crossing the space between him and the shamans. The first one managed only to scream when the energy slammed into it, next few tried to stop the attack, but were unable to. Power of a properly trained powerful psyker proving too much for their limited abilities and knowledge.

Harry looked around the cave and saw Strybjorn happily butcher the mutants on his path with silent efficiency and purpose, his blade rising and falling, each time sending more of the enemies of the Allfather to their Dark Gods. Harry was about to join him in butchering those mutants when he saw more massive and bulkier ones move from behind.

Gripping comfortably his axe he turned to face them and it was then when he noticed that they weren't the same breed of creatures as those that Strybjorn was dealing with, but that they were horribly mutated humans. He shot the closest one in the head and watched with satisfaction as its head exploded like a ripe watermelon, pieces of brain flying in every direction. However before he had much time to enjoy how good his accuracy was, the mutants were almost upon him and he emptied the whole bolter into the place where was the most of them. Some were felled by the bullets, but a majority was just injured by them and was still able to murder him.

His axe buried into the first body on his path and in one swift move he opened the torso of the mutant and quickly slammed the blade into the next target he found on his path. Blood rained onto the plates of his armor as the mutants raked their claws and primitive weapons across plates of plasteel and ceramite. With each next strike he sent he felt his vision become red as more and more body parts and blood dropped onto the ground around him. He almost completely forgot about the defense and parried strikes only when he knew that it would allow him to murder more mutants. Each strike felt perfect to him, blade of his ace crackling with arcs of energy as it cleaved limbs away from torsos, splintered heads and bisected mutants on his path. He fought as if there was nothing else outside of combat and only the mutants on his path mattered.

He only stopped killing when there were no more mutants around him, just their corpses and his whole form was drenched in their blood that dripped onto the ground in massive streams. He looked around and saw Strybjorn emerge from the part of the cave where he confronted his own group of foes.

"By Morkai's Balls!" He said, his eyes focusing on Harry's form and then on the ground around. "I knew you were good, but to cause so much destruction and send so many mutants to their fell gods is something else."

Harry looked at the form of Strybjorn and then at the mutants on the ground. "When and how did it happen?" He asked in some surprise.

"Ah, Berserker Rage," Strybjorn said and nodded to himself. "I should have seen symptoms of it, after all similar warrior almost murdered me once when he was in this rage."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Ragnar Thunderfist, to you known as Ragnar Blackmane," Strybjorn explained before shooting and killing a mutant that tried to crawl away. "When we were Chosen I murdered his father and well, he didn't like it a lot and almost murdered me in turn." He looked around and finished few more mutants. "Let's get to the surface and hope that they sent a call for help as if I'm right this is another one of those fucking infestations and we will need to burn it out."

Harry nodded and stepping over the corpses they made their way to the surface, while killing any mutant that was still alive and tried to crawl away. When they emerged out of the cave they saw the rest of the pack finishing few more mutants.

"Did you call for aid?" Strybjorn asked.

"Aye, we did," Egil said and paused. "Signal was sent five minutes ago, so they should be here in few seconds."

Strybjorn nodded and looked around. "There is more of those things hiding inside and they will probably come to face us," he said and indicated place where the valley rose and formed a small ridge. "Take places there and wait for them. Also activate your beacons and made sure that they know where we are."

There was a round of acknowledging orders and Harry followed Strybjorn towards the ridge, on the way there he thought about activating the beacon built into the armor and a single rune flickered from red to green. He stopped to the side of Strybjorn and mimicked the older warrior who laid down on the ground and reloaded his bolter before aiming it at the entrance to the cave.

"Not the most honorable way of doing our duties, but it works," he said with a glance at Harry. "They will expect us to wsit for them at the entry and this way we can kill them from afar."

Harry nodded in understanding and waited patiently for the events to unfold, he didn't need to wait for a long time as moments later above their heads passed a flight of Thunderhawks and Stormwolves. It landed on the ground and out of it spilled dozens of Space Wolves, some were dressed in normal power armor, but there were also some in Terminator suits.

"Let's go," Strybjorn said. "I see the Great Wolf and Ragnar and we need to report to them what had happened."

o-0-o

Ragnar noticed Strybjorn and someone wholly covered in blood and it took him a moment to recognize that it was the newest addition to his personal bodyguard.

"It seems that your wolves have claws," Logan Grimnar said as he joined Ragnar. "Let's hear what they have to say and then we will strike."

Ragnar nodded and waited for his Wolf Guard to join them. "Good job," he said and added after a moment. "What did you find?"

"A nest of Chaos worshipping things," Strybjorn said. "Harald detected traces of Warp powers before we entered the cave and after we detected the first group of mutants I gave an order to withdraw. My past experiences taught me to be careful when dealing with cults in those mountains."

"You did well," Ragnar said and looked at Harry. "Since you were supposed to withdraw before first group found you, how is it that your armor looks as if you carved a path through the enemy lines?"

"We met few groups keen on keeping us inside on our way out," Strybjorn said and placed his hand on Harry's pauldron. "After we met the first one I ordered the rest of the pack to move ahead of us and stayed behind with Harald to slow down the enemy. We almost got onto the surface when a large group of mutants attacked us from behind and later second from the front."

"To think that they have such resources," Logan Grimnar grumbled and looked at Ragnar. "They did good and once the mess is over they should be rewarded."

"Aye, they should," Ragnar agreed. "What are we going to do about the cult?"

"Burn it to the ground and root out any survivors," Grimnar said. "Your guards found the place so you will lead the assault."

"Of course," Ragnar said and motioned for Strybjorn and Harry to follow him. "You and the whole pack won't take part in the attack. Return with the first Thunderhawk back to the Aett and get rest. Also there's something I want to talk with Harald and just him."

Strybjorn nodded and walked away, yet close enough to be able to protect his liege lord.

"You did good," Ragnar said looking at Harry. "When I named you my Wolf Guard I risked my honor and respect as you probably know that so young Wolf Guards are rare."

"I'm the first Blood Claw that was promoted to the post since your times," Harry said. "I know about this fact, Strybjorn told me as much."

"Indeed," Ragnar said and paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Also the Inquisition tried to get their claws into you and that's why once you fully finish your training you are being send to Terra."

Harry blinked in surprise and then a short growl left his throat. "I'm being sent away to keep those bureaucrats happy?!"

"No," Ragnar said, slowly shaking his head. "The Celestarch requested you to be assigned to the Wolfblades as soon as possible and that means being sent to Terra."

"Ah," Harry said, scowl gone from his face, then he bared his throat in submission and looked at Ragnar. "I apologize for my outburst, liege."

Ragnar laughed and patted him on the pauldron. "Happens to everybody," he said and added after a moment. "Also I much more prefer my advisors and guards honest and telling what they think. So get back with your pack to the Fang, get a good meal, enjoy the time and rest."

Harry bowed his head and walked away and towards Strybjorn who weirdly looked at them. Ragnar just bared his fangs and his old friend nodded before looking at Harry.

o-0-o

Valkoth looked around the command center of the officially not existing house troops of the House of Belisarius and a short growl escaped his mouth. Three of the most senior Wolfblades, two drawn from Wolf Guard and one from Long Fangs didn't even acknowledge the growl, while six of the house guard looked at him in some fear.

"Those zealots are funded by someone," he finally said. "The gear they get and their discipline suggest that someone rich does that."

"Other houses?" one of the humans asked.

"No," Bjorn, a Long Fang with a long, white, braided beard said. "Other houses even if they dislike us know well that zealots are also going to hit them. No, that's someone else and I think that we all know who it is."

"The Inquisition," Valkoth spat. "Masters of cloak and dagger once again move against this house."

"Again?" Bjorn asked.

"When Blackmane was a Wolfblade they did the same thing," Valkoth said. "Granted, they used subtler means and we lacked most of our current knowledge, but the pattern was the same. In the next few days or weeks we will have an assassination attempt on the Celestarch and the Blade that will accompany her."

"Should we reinforce the guards that accompany the Celestarch?" Adrian, commander of the household guard asked.

"Aye, we should," Valkoth said. "I want with her either Centurions or Terminator at all times she's outside of the house, at least two at a time."

"She won't like it."

"But it is a necessity," Valkoth said and added after a moment. "Also make sure that there are always few Blades ready to support her guards."

"I don't think the Celestarch herself is the target," Gunnar, a Wolf Guard with a mane of fiery red hair said. "That doesn't make much sense to me, especially now. They need to know that we have the manpower to keep her surrounded with Terminators or Centurions and that we will murder any assassin foolish enough to get close to her."

Valkoth paused at those words and looked at Gunnar. "If that's the case, whose the target?"

"The Wolfblade we are all waiting for," he said. "I mean, the Inquisition was here when Ragnar Blackmane claimed him for the chapter and then they came to Fenris to demand him being given to them."

At those words Valkoth bristled and looked at Egil. "We never knew what had happened in Fenris, the Great Wolf didn't send a single message."

"Ah," Gunnar nodded and said after a moment. "I was standing guard behind the Great Wolf when he sent back that arrogant Inquisitor that demanded that we give away one of our pups. Also some mysterious sources delivered data to the chapter that the Inquisition is plotting against us and wants the boy for themselves."

"Mysterious sources?"

"The Great Wolf didn't share them, yet it is obvious he believes that they are legitimate and could be confirmed," Gunnar said and looked at the map of the Quarter. "I think that once Harald gets here we will see a lot more of those zealots popping out of the proverbial woodwork."

Valkoth nodded and looked at Bjorn. "What do you have to say? You are the oldest one here."

"What Gunnar says makes sense," Bjorn said and bared his fangs. "Those fools tried to do similar things in the past, but usually more subtly."

"Very well," Valkoth said and looked around. "Bjorn, Gunnar each take twelve Blades and start cleansing more dangerous nests of those idiots. Adrian, you and I will go over the security systems of the house. The rest, train the troops to be up to speed and to be ready."

o-0-o

Aldrik Voldus frowned as he looked at Covan Leorac, fellow Grand Master and a representative of the Chapter to the Inquisition. "They want us to do what?"

"Grandmaster of the Ordo Malleus thinks that the Chapter of the Space Wolves is tainted by the corruption of Chaos," Leorac said after a moment. "And he wants us to detain the newest Wolfblade as he is supposed to be the source of this corruption."

Aldrik let out an annoyed huff and looked around the hallowed halls of the Librarium. "Emperor's Tarot was clear, Space Marine, God-Emperor and the Eye of Horus," he said and added after a moment. "It is obvious that it refers to a new Marine and we all know how the Warp behaved when that boy showed up."

"Demons shrieked in pain and were weaker, a lot weaker," Leorac said and added after a moment. "Also the light of the Astronomican burned brightly, when it happened we traveled through the Warp and our Navigator was shocked by how powerful the light was."

"Omens are good, yet the Inquisition ignores them," Aldrik said and paused to gather his thoughts. "We need to interfere before they do something incredibly stupid and threaten the Imperium and drag us into the mess."

"I told the Conclave that we won't fight the Wolves and they accepted those words, but then Wolfblades officially aren't a part of their chapter and that Grandmaster can force us to act against them."

"Someone needs to watch him and see how powerful of a psyker he is once he is on the surface of Terra," Aldrik said and pursed his lips. "Someone that we can trust and we are sure that they won't be influenced in their judgment."

"Or not," said person that entered into the Librarium, making both of them look at him. He was Aidan Perdron, a Grand Master responsible for the training of new recruits. "The Wolves know about our existence and we don't need to hide ourselves from them, so we might as well as use it and test him, here."

"The Inquisition will be deeply unhappy about this," Leorac said. "Or at least those that believe in the fact that the Wolves are tainted, the rest will be mostly not caring about what we do or how we do."

"And the Great Wolf might also have doubts about this," Aldrik said and added after a moment. "Though he is a far more intelligent being than the part of the Inquisition that will have problems."

"Before we begin someone needs to get his permission," Aidan said. "As even if the boy agrees to the trials we put him through to ensure that he is pure and untainted, his chapter master needs to give his permission before that or the Wolves will be angry."

"I can travel to Fenris, besides, there is a certain piece of lore that I need to check with their Rune Priests, so hopefully I should be able to make the Great Wolf see the reason," Aldrik said.

He could tell that his peers weren't convinced, but also weren't going to oppose him as all of them knew that this trip could be very well, a one way one.

o-0-o

Harry felt some kind of fear as he walked into the study of the Great Wolf and saw that there was nobody else there, excluding him and the Great Wolf. "Great Wolf, did you summon me?" Harry asked as he stood at attention, his body perfectly rigid.

"At ease," the Great Wolf said and Harry moved into more comfortable position. "Indeed, I summoned you. You are being assigned to the Wolfblades as per request of the Lady Celestarch. Many think that it is a banishment, but the truth is that it is an opportunity for you to learn and gain experience. I, your Wolf Lord and a great many higher ranking members of our chapter served as bodyguards to the Celestarch. It is an opportunity to forge your own path and to gain allies in high places."

"I understand," Harry said. "So I'm supposed to gain knowledge while performing my duties."

"Indeed," the Great Wolf said and gave him one last look. "You will travel there on board of one of our courier vessels and will carry a message from me to the Celestarch and you will present it when you make an oath to her."

Harry nodded and took a scroll handed to him.

"You're dismissed and good luck and survive on Terra," the Great Wolf said.

Harry gave one last bow to his chapter master and walked out of the chamber and towards his own quarters to gather what little personal belongings he had and prepare for the travel to Terra. Place where the next part of his saga would begin and he hopefully would be able to forge his own path, one that would earn him respect and honor.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Someone is bent on capturing Harry and not much can stop him, also some more about him is revealed and one, very elusive player is meddling in the affairs of the world.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – Some plots end and some start and generally a very interesting and usual day for any named character in Warhammer 40k. Read, enjoy and review.**

 **o-0-o**

Gunnar looked behind at the group of the Wolfblades that followed him into the bowels of Terra, into the underhive, place where all manners of nasty movements lurked and preyed on anything that showed in their path. At this he smiled as servomotors of his Terminator armor worked quietly and an autocannon in his hand waited to unleash deadly hail of bullets onto his foes. He looked around, ancient auspex systems of the armor easily penetrating the darkness that surrounded him.

"So far clear," he said into the vox. "No heretics and no zealots."

"That's expected," came reply from Valkoth moments later. "They will be once you get deeper, those regions are still sometimes checked by the Arbitres, so most hides in the older part."

Gunnar nodded and waited for the rest of the team join him, three wore Terminator armors, one more with autocannons, while the other two had heavy flamers. The rest of the team carried a wide collection of power weapons. "Terminators, stay up front, the rest protect the flanks and backs," he said into the vox network of the team.

Once he heard acknowledgements he started to move forward, bulk and mass of the Cataphractii armor making it extremely slow, yet he easily traded speed for more armor. While he loved the Indominus that dominated the armories of the chapter, he quickly came to love the Cataphractii. It was slower, bulkier, but also provided more space for ammo and more protection.

His thoughts where cut short when auspex systems of his armor picked up movement and heat signatures matching those of humans. It seemed that they were hiding in the buildings and ruins around and the noise caused by the armors got their attention. Gunnar smiled at it and revved the engine of the autocannon he carried to ensure that it wouldn't fail him if this encounter ended in combat.

"Who are you?" one of the humans asked as he walked closer to Gunnar, in his hands was a lasgun.

"Adeptus Astartes from the Space Wolves chapter assigned to Wolfblades," Gunnar said through the external speakers of his armor and saw the human narrow his eyes.

"So you are the heretics this pious priest was telling us about," the human said and at this Gunnar narrowed his eyes. At the same time his auspexes picked up dozens of signatures moving towards them.

"We are Emperor's Angels of Death and we are not heretics," Gunnar said, controlling his temper.

"But you serve the mutants," the human spat onto the ground. "Mutants that are seen as taints on the human society by the Holy Ecclesiarchy."

"They are necessary for the Imperium," Gunnar said and added onto vox for his team. "We have company to our sides and ahead of us. Hold fire, but be ready to attack."

Human's eyes lit with fire and the next words confirmed Gunnar's suspicion. "You're a heretic," he snarled and pointed at Gunnar his lasgun.

Gunnar didn't even feel the beam of light slam into his armor and in reply opened fire with his autocannon, poor human didn't even have a chance to scream before his torso was ripped open by a hail of bullets. Gunnar moved to the side and sprayed with bullets from the gun places where his auspexes told him zealots were hiding.

Before long the rest of his team joined combat and most of the zealots ended burned by the flamethrowers not even firing a single shot at the Marines. While those that were lucky or unlucky to get past the flamethrowers ended either torn to shreds or ripped apart by the bolter fire. Gunnar didn't even notice when the fight started and ended, for him it felt like one, small blur. He looked around, checking the darkness with auspexes of his armor and trying to see if there were any zealots laying low and hoping to strike when an opportunity would show.

"We ran into some zealots," he said into his vox. "Seems like the Inquisition really wants us gone."

"How many?" Valkoth asked.

"Few dozens," Gunnar said and looked at the corpses around. "Rather well supplied for such a movement."

"Bjorn has few hundreds of them and needs support," Valkoth said after a minute. "I'm sending you his location and the path you need to take to get there."

Gunnar nodded and looked at his group before looking at the map sent by Valkoth and starting to move towards place where more zealots waited to be killed.

o-0-o

Carrow felt a ball of bile grow in his throat as the face of his master became a stone mask, only signs of the fact that he was alive were slowly moving corners of his mouth.

"You want to tell me that the Wolves just killed two of the biggest groups of our agents?" the Grandmaster asked. "Groups that should have remained unseen until we have a need for them."

"Yes," Carrow said, swallowing that ball. "I managed to watch them attack the bigger group and they knew for whom they were coming. Twelve Blades came, four of them in Terminator armors and then they started to slaughter the zealots we trained and armed. If that wasn't bad enough, second group of the Blades joined the first one and they butchered every single one of our supporters."

"I see," the Grandmaster said and added after a moment. "However it has almost no importance, at least for now."

"How?"

"Our target will be arriving into the system in a courier ship belonging to the Wolves," the Grandmaster said and Carrow nodded in understanding. "They will need to pass customs control and I want you to take a platoon of the Stormtroopers and attack the ship the moment they accept customs party."

"Won't it be seen as an assault upon the chapter?"

"Not if they cannot prove that we did it, but some pirates," the Grandmaster said. "Rogue elements always inhabited outskirts of the system and nobody ever managed to deal with them. Nobody will ask too many uncomfortable questions about that attack and most will treat them as pirates."

Carrow nodded and gulped in fear. "What if they find me leading the attack?"

"Ordo has means of protecting itself in grave situations," the Grandmaster said and Carrow looked at him. "If they manage to catch you, they won't prove a single thing. The only thing they will learn is that you were a minor pirate hoping to have luck with the courier ship."

Carrow nodded and taking it as a cue to withdraw, he did so and went to prepare for the mission ahead of himself. He had a bad feeling about the task, with thirty Stormtroopers he should be able to achieve the goals given to him, yet he knew that Space Marines were difficult foes.

o-0-o

Strike cruisers owned by the chapter of the Grey Knights were one of the fastest and most advanced ships ever developed by the humanity and Aldrik Voldus was grateful for that as he walked through the corridors of the Fang heading for a meeting with the Great Wolf and Njal Stormcaller. The Wolves demanded lengthy explanations, but even they let him into their lair once he explained why he was here. Now it was just a matter of revealing the true reason why he was here and why that boy should be allowed to be tested in the Citadel of Titan, there was also a small matter of surviving the coming talk and hoping that he would be understood.

His guide stopped in front of stone doors and Aldrik quickly collected his mind, years of training and usage of psychic powers allowing him to do it at moments notice. Once he was done with it he nodded at his guide who looked at the pair of Space Wolves that stood in front of those doors. He walked forward and as he approached the guards they opened the doors and once he was inside they closed them behind him.

"The Great Wolf, Rune Priest," Aldrik said, lightly bowing his head. "Thank you for seeing me, the matter is of utmost urgency and I already feel it is too late to prevent the worst fallout of the events to come."

"Grand Master Voldus," the Great Wolf said slowly. "Can you explain what made you come here in such a haste?"

"A boy found by Ragnar Blackmane on the Holy Terra," Voldus said and quickly added before the Great Wolf could say anything. "I'm not working for the Inquisition here, I'm on the behalf of my chapter and the God-Emperor."

"Explain," the Great Wolf said.

Aldrik quickly explained things seen and heard on Titan as well as omens his own divination provided him with and he finished it with retelling of the meeting he had with other Grand Masters of his chapter. While telling the story he watched the expression of the Great Wolf and for a brief moment feared that he would be murdered here.

"How sure you are that the Inquisition wants to detain him?" the Great Wolf asked.

"Unfortunately as sure as I can be," Aldrik winced. "While most of the Conclave is just wary of you and wants to watch you, that one, one known as the Grandmaster seems focused on getting the boy. For what reasons I cannot tell, as I don't know, however I have a solution that can disarm the whole plot and let every group come out of it victorious."

"What?" Njal asked.

"Let my chapter test him in our fortress on Titan," Aldrik said. "The Inquisition will accept it as we are one of their chamber militants. While I think that you can trust us because we are a fellow chapter of Adeptus Astartes and swore not to attack each other."

"It has some merits," Njal said, sending his liege lord a look to stay silent. "However it would be an even better agreement if he was allowed to study under one of your more powerful brothers. I taught him as much as I could, but he is an immensely powerful person and the student outgrew the master."

"I would need to consult this with the Grand Master responsible for training of new brothers, but I think it can be done," Aldrik said. "However he will need to take an oath to never reveal what he had seen in the halls of our fortress as there are stored things that should remain hidden and we don't want them to become a common knowledge."

"We all have our secrets," Logan said and Aldrik nodded. "As long as you swear that nothing will happen to him and that we can trust you, he will be allowed to be tested by you and if he wants it, trained in his powers."

"Of course," Aldrik said and looked at Njal. "I also came here to consult your archives and knowledge of your Rune Priests, so perhaps once I'm ready to leave I will made an oath."

"That will be sufficient," Logan said and looked at Njal. "Ensure that our guest has everything he needs and once that is done bring him back so that he can make an oath to me."

o-0-o

Harry had very bad feelings as they left the Warp and entered the system, while the travel through the Immaterium was surprisingly fast, calm and with no accidents. However the moment the craft entered back into the material universe he started to have a feeling that all would end bad. As customs party approached the ship it turned from an annoyance that he could ignore into a headache that threatened him with splitting his head.

He made his way to the hangar bay and he was just in time to see customs officers opening fire onto kaerls that greeted them. At this his throat left a blood curling howl and he charged into at the traitors, his axe making its way into his hand. He sent a wild, quick strike towards the closest one and a sign of surprise passed across his face when his enemy was able to actually try to dodge the strike. However that attempt didn't matter as the blade cut through the cloth and flesh below before shattering the bone and continuing its path through the body, finally coming out of it in a shower of blood and torn out tissue.

This seemed to snap the traitors from some weird sleep in which all of them were and they aimed their lasguns and pistols, which Harry immediately recognized as hotshot variant and narrowed his eyes. Just a couple units had access to them and all of them were loyal without any doubts, yet here they were fighting against him.

"I suggest that you surrender," someone said and when he looked in the direction of the voice he saw a tall man in a black coat with a golden rosette on his chest. His eyes were hidden by a wide hat, yet Harry felt them try to look into his soul. "Next strike by you will be treated as an attack against the agents of the Holy Inquisition."

Harry just smiled, his fangs flashing and he pulled out his bolter pistol before firing at the closest agents of the Inquisition. He watched with some grim satisfaction as their heads exploded like ripe watermelons before he shook his head and started to cut to shreds ones that were closest to him.

For a moment it felt like paradise, his enemies didn't even stand a chance against him when someone shot him in the knee and his armor was unable to stop the hit from penetrating the flesh and burning a hole through it. He let out a scream of pain and shock as his knee gave up, unable to support his weight and that of his armor.

"If you obeyed my command you wouldn't get injured," the Inquisitor said, his voice mocking as he walked forward. "Oh, well, my superiors will be happy if I delivered to them your body."

Harry let out a growl and supporting himself on his axe he stood up and looked at the Inquisitor, his eyes burning with cold fury. He stretched fingers of his right hand and then his eyes briefly flashed blue before the smell of ozone filled the room and lightnings started to jump between the agents of the Inquisition.

"I think that you might have slight troubles with defeating me," Harry said with a growl and looked at the Inquisitor. "Your agents are fried and I can do the same with you, or no, I won't do that." He looked at the kaerls that entered into the bay, in their hands lasguns and their bodies clad in full carapace armor. "Get him into the brig and check for anything of note and make sure that he doesn't have anything with which he can end his sorry life."

Kaerls nodded and walked to the Inquisitor who seemed unable to comprehend that something could go so badly. He received a powerful strike with a laser rifle across his back and soon he was tied and gagged before being led away to the brig. At this Harry felt pain finally come back to him as adrenaline wore off and nerves started to report pain in his knee. He managed to stand straight, but only because he supported himself with his axe. He gave one last look towards the mess of ripped and charred bodies before slowly limping away towards his quarters.

o-0-o

Valkoth looked at the reports and smiled to himself, eight nests of those zealots were purged and tally of the dead ones reached into several hundreds. Which was all and good, but not the main reason of his smile, that reason was in form of weapons that were found in those nests. Lasguns were to be expected as armories of Terra were vast and almost constantly something was being lost, however them being of the hotshot variant made his eyes narrow. That variant was supposed to be tracked to the every single unit and crates of them disappearing were worrying. At least the rest was a lot less worrying as flamers and automatic weapons weren't as deadly to Astartes as hotshot lasguns were.

"So the Inquisition did it?" Adrian asked, his artificial eye focused on the gun placed on the table. "As I don't remember normal Astra Militarum having access to those guns."

"Or someone powerful enough to have access to the Militarum Tempestus," Valkoth said and looked at Torin. "What did you manage to learn?"

"Other Houses are scared, yet grateful that we did something with those zealots and while none openly admitted it. It seems that someone wanted to drag them into a plot against us and offered mountains of gold just for not helping us if we came to ask for support."

"Interesting, very interesting," Valkoth said and at the same time a Tech-Priest came in with a sheet of paper and handed it to Valkoth. "It seems that the missing Wolfblade is finally here and has a gift for us."

"A gift?" Gunnar asked.

"A rather interesting individual," Valkoth said as he looked at the sheet of paper. "According to it they had a fake customs party that tried to arrest him and introduced themselves as the agents of the Inquisition."

"That's not a thing I expected," Torin said and paused. "Tell me that the Inquisitor is alive and well."

"He is alive, at least according to this," Valkoth said and Torin smiled.

"They trained him well," Torin said and looked at his commander. "I'll go to the spaceport to greet the last addition to our team and ensure that he doesn't get lost on his way here."

"Very well," Valkoth said and glanced at Adrian. "Can you get a group of household guards to the ship and ensure that the guest is shown our famous hospitality."

Adrian smiled and nodded before bowing and following Torin out of the room, leaving Valkoth to think about the events and plan for the future.

o-0-o

Harry watched curiously the landscape below as the shuttle descended through the atmosphere of the Holy Terra. Everything he had seen so far managed to make him breathless, from the massive fortresses that guarded the outskirts of the system to the Ring of Iron, everything was geared towards protection of the Cradle of Humanity. Space was filled with untold thousands of ships, most of them massive cruisers and battleships of the Battlefleet Solar, the biggest single unit inside of the Navy.

He shook his head and focused on the landscape below as the shuttle passed through the last layer of clouds and prepared for landing. Everything seemed big and grand, as if everybody tried to prove that they were better than their competitors. Which made him smile as it reminded him of the constant bickering for bigger ships and more of them between various Wolf Lords of the chapter.

"If Emperor allows it we will soon be landing," the pilot reported.

Harry nodded and walked to the end of the compartment, shifting his weight from the wounded leg to the fully working one. Even if his body could regenerate itself from almost any damage, knee was one of few parts that would take time to regrow.

When the shuttle landed and the ramp was lowered he walked onto the landing pad and looked around, it was mostly empty, excluding a lone Space Wolf waiting close to a small buggy. Small that is for standards of the Marines, for humans it was a rather large one.

The Wolf noticed him and walked closer, it was then when Harry recognized him as Torin Wayfarer, probably the sole Wolf that volunteered for the service with the Blades. They approached each other various warily and Torin shot a look at the markings painted on Harry's pauldron.

"A Wolf Guard," Torin said and laughed. "Welcome back to Terra, Harald Belisarius."

Harry smiled and clasped his forearm with Torin's. "I didn't plan on returning here so soon."

"The Celestarch herself requested your presence," Torin said as they walked to the vehicle. "The rest you will learn when we're inside of the house. Too many damn ears and eyes everywhere."

"That bad?" Harry asked.

"Aye, that bad," Torin said and smiled. "At least we have piles of gifts from Mars that let us greet all of those troublemakers. Anyways, which company?"

"Blackmane's," Harry said and smiled. "He named me his Guard right after I was sworn in as the Claw."

Torin nodded and for the rest of the journey they chatted about unimportant matters that could be talked with spies looking at their every step. However the moment the buggy crossed the gate of the Quarter and charged for the spire belonging to the House of Belisarius Harry fell silent as memories flooded his mind.

"Good to be home," he said, jumping out of the buggy.

Torin nodded and together they walked inside, starting a new part of his saga.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Another kinda cliffhanger ending with some or most questions unanswered and many only partially. More blood, gore and plotting is to come, but for now this should be enough.**

 **Things that some might not know:**

 **Hotshot laser** – a more powerful and harder to manufacture variant of the venerable lasgun, used mostly by Karskin, Militarum Tempestus and agents of the Inquisition. While normal lasgun mostly will scorch the paint of the armor worn by the Astartes, this one has an actual chance of punching a hole through it and stopping the hulking warrior ready to bisect you.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – Another chapter and even more plotting, scheming and planning things to happen. Though after this bit there will be a bit of a pause as things will calm down.**

 **o-0-o**

The Grandmaster felt a weird feeling in his gut as he watched a shuttle descend from the orbit, carrying the newest addition to the Wolfblades. It meant that Carrow failed and that plans needed to be updated, he wanted to curse the world and the traitors for all of the luck they had. First they managed to slaughter all of the zealots that could be used against them and now the perfect trap that could have solved the issue, failed.

For one last time he looked at the shuttle and then walked away, he knew enough to start making plans to protect him from the fallout of the mistakes he had done. However he didn't plan to stop on just prevention, no, that was for fools and centuries of scheming taught him that fools died in the most gruesome manners possible. He needed allies to survive the coming confrontation as he knew that the Wolves would call every favor they could get their hands on and possibly, highly unlikely, but possibly they could get support of all of the First and Second Founding chapter which could spell a disaster. The Grandmaster shook his head, not thinking about it and stepped into a heavily modified Land Speeder that awaited him.

"To the Palace of the Ecclesiarchy," he said towards the pilot once he took a seat in the passenger compartment.

o-0-o

Harry smiled as he passed under the archway that led into the inside of the palace of the House of Belisarius, he inhaled the air and almost immediately his senses were assaulted by hundreds, if not thousands of various scents. Some were familiar, just a lot stronger and more pronounced, while the rest was new, those were ones his human senses couldn't spot, but thanks to the transformation he easily detected them.

"Easy," Torin said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't let it overwhelm your mind, you will have time to discover all of them and remember your training. You control what your body does, not the other way around."

Harry nodded and shaking his head to banish those thoughts he walked forward, through the entry hall that ended splitting into several long hallways, each of them leading into a different part of the spire. He tried to remember the layout of it when he felt Torin nudge him lightly. "What?"

"You need to make an oath to the Celestarch," Torin explained and added after a moment. "And that's always done in the throne room."

"Even if my armor looks like hell and in my knee there's a hole?" Harry asked and Torin looked at him, a very confused expression on his face.

"How did it happen?"

"A hotshot laser during that scuffle on the ship," Harry explained with a shrug. "One that did it ended a bit shocked."

"Shocked?" Torin asked, tasting the word.

"Psychic powers," Harry said and added after a moment. "Njal the Stormcaller forced me to learn how to manipulate at least one element and I chose lightnings."

Torin gave him a wary look, but then nodded and the two of them walked towards the throne room. On their way there Harry noticed two murals that eluded his sight when he last walked through those ancient halls, on one was shown a tall man that was obviously a Navigator, his third, pineal eye not hidden by anything and he was accompanied by the two towering giants in power armors. One of them was a Primarch of Harry's own chapter, Leman Russ, while the second was a Primarch of the Blood Angels, Sanguinus. However this was not the mural that caught Harry's attention, but one to its side, one where was shown a coat of arms of the house. Head of a wolf placed inside of it previously didn't make any sense to him, but now it was obvious that it was a sign of his chapter.

"I never realized that the wolf in the coat of arms is from our coat of arms," Harry said as they passed it.

"Indeed," Torin said and paused for a second, playing with his neatly trimmed mustache. "It is a very subtle, yet easily understood sign of with whom someone risks a conflict if they start picking on this house. It is also a reason why you were requested by the Celestarch to be assigned to the Wolfblades."

"Why's that?"

"Because of how having a relative in our ranks is seen amongst the nobility of the Imperium," Torin patiently explained. "They see it as a great honor for the family and a thing that boosts its prestige among their peers. It would be even better if you managed to sire children when with us, as they would be technically speaking members of the house and would most likely be picked by us to see if they are worthy candidates for the transformation."

Harry actually stopped and looked at Torin. "You're joking?"

"No," Torin said and gave Harry a look. "Intrigues and politics of Terra are crazy and you need to get used to them. I know that you received basic training from the house, but it seems that you forgot most of it, so we will need to fix it and I will start doing that tomorrow or so. Now, however we need to get you to swear an oath to the Celestarch."

"Right," Harry said as he composed himself and followed Torin.

They entered into the throne room and he immediately noticed that it was packed full of various Navigators, several Magii of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a crowd of normal human courtiers and allies of the house and finally a group of six Wolfblades that surrounded the throne of the Celestarch. Harry walked to the prescribed distance from the throne and dropped to one knee, his eyes boring into the floor.

He could feel the Celestarch regard him with cool gaze for several long moments before she finally spoke. "We have heard a great deal of things about you and your training to become one of the Wolves and seeing you as a full battle-brother of the chapter fills our heart with pride. Having one of our relatives, even an adopted one become a member of the Adeptus Astartes is a reason for pride and respect to the house and everybody associated with it," she said and then she paused for a brief moment. "However while those things are important, we are here for a different reason. Do you, Harald Belisarius of the Space Wolves, swear to serve and protect me?"

"I do," Harry said, clearly pronouncing the words.

"Then we, the Celestarch of the House of Belisarius, accept your oath as binding and we name you as one of our Wolfblades," the Celestarch said. "Rise and join the ranks of the Wolfblades."

Harry stood up and moved towards the place where a group of Wolfblades was standing. They moved to the sides to make room for him and some patted him on the shoulders as they noticed markings he had on his armor.

o-0-o

Carrow groaned as he opened his eyes and looked around, he was in a small cell with the sole source of light being a small slit set in the armored door that led inside. He didn't know where exactly he was, but he knew that the Inquisition would get him out of his prison no matter the cost and effort involved.

He heard the door croak and groan as it was slowly opened and he narrowed his eyes to prepare them for the assault of the bright light. Once door was fully opened through it stepped a single person, a giant clad in a power armor and it took a moment for Carrow to realize that it was a Space Marine.

"We have a lot to talk about," the Marine grimly said and Carrow narrowed his eyes into tiny slits. "Yes, you and I. We can do it peacefully or we will need to convince you to open your heart and spill your secrets."

"You have no power over me and attack against the Inquisition is an attacked against the God-Emperor," Carrow hissed.

The Marine just laughed, his elongated canines flashing. "As is an attack against the Space Marines chapter and plotting against one, if I was feeling generous I could add plotting against the Navis Nobilite and the Imperium," he said once he calmed. "So you don't have as much power as you think you have. Also the Great Wolf will be a very annoyed person once he gets all of the data that you will tell us."

"You won't dare-"

"I dare and I will do it," the Marine said. "The Inquisition grew too powerful and it needs to be humbled. I fought on Armageddon and I remember Months of Shame all too well, so you either cooperate or we will break you and get what we want."

Carrow gulped and started to recite the litanies to the Emperor, hoping that they would bring him salvation from those heretics and savages.

The Marine just smiled at this and grabbed him before proceeding to drag out of the cell.

o-0-o

Harry flexed his muscles as he got out of his armor, he didn't feel its weight and it was in a way a second, albeit a much harder layer of skin, but he still wanted to be out of it. Diverting his gaze from the stack of plates that made his past armor he looked at another that made an armor worn by all of the Wolfblades. It was thicker, more reinforced and had few features he couldn't find in his normal armor.

"You will never have any desire to replace it for any other model of a power armor," Torin said and Harry looked at him. "It has things that you will come to love and the Mechanicus used the very best materials they could get, no matter the cost, to manufacture them."

"I see," Harry said and motioned for servants to start putting the armor onto him. As they did it, he looked at Torin and narrowed his eyes. "I guess that you're here not because of your free will, but because someone told you so."

Torin laughed, but then nodded. "Aye," he said. "Valkoth, senior Wolfblade ordered me to introduce you to your duties and show you around. Also I'm one of the few Blades that has knowledge of the scheming ways of the nobility and patience to teach someone new. The fact that you had known me before you began your training is nothing to sneeze at."

"So I won't easily get rid of your company?"

"No, you won't," Torin said and added after a moment. "I wish you were a lot more like Ragnar when he arrived."

Harry paused and looked at the older Wolf. "Ragnar, as in Ragnar Blackmane, Lord of my company?"

"Same one," Torin said and paused. "He didn't mention that he served with me and that he managed to lose the Spear of Russ and later reclaimed it?"

"No..."

Torin laughed and Harry arched an eyebrow in question. "It seems that he didn't mention his most famous exploit. But that is a story for the time when I will show you some things. Now, once you are in the armor we will begin your more boring training."

Harry nodded and once the last servant stepped away from him he moved and felt the new armor was even better than his former one. He also smiled when he noticed a storm bolter built into the arm of the armor. "Is it real?" He asked, looking more closely at the weapon.

"Aye, it is," Torin smiled. "A very useful thing, but you need to get used to it."

"So that I don't shoot myself?"

"Among other things," Torin said and motioned for him to follow. "Come and I will show you a range where you can practice with it and blow up targets we don't care about."

o-0-o

Aldrik walked into the throne room of the Great Wolf and immediately noticed that it was filled with the Wolf Lords that were on Fenris as well as their retinue. He smiled thinly at it as he realized that the Great Wolf wanted to have a show for his lieutenants, however seconds after appearing the smile vanished and his face once again became impossible to read. He walked between the ranks of the Wolves and stopped right in front of the throne of the Great Wolf.

"I am here to make an oath to you that one of your brothers won't be injured or killed when amongst the ranks of our chapter," Aldrik said, pronouncing each word perfectly. "I swear that on my honor, honor of my chapter and the Golden Throne of Terra."

There was a long moment of silence before the Great Wolf spoke. "I, Logan Grimnar the Great Wolf of the Space Wolves chapter, accept the oath as binding and swear on my honor and honor of my chapter that we won't seek hostility with your chapter unless provoked and given a righteous cause."

Aldrik managed not to show any surprise at this particular wording, but inside it puzzled him, he never expected the Wolves to make such an oath and never expected to be the one receiving it. "In the name of my chapter I accept it and I will ensure that your brother receives the best training we can offer him," he said and bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, the Great Wolf, I wish I could studied more the lore of your chapter, alas I'm in great hurry."

The Great Wolf nodded and Aldrik walked out of the chamber before following his guide who took him to the levels of the Fang where shuttles and even massive spaceships were moored. The second he was on board of his strike cruiser it started to move away from the Fang and accelerate out of the system.

o-0-o

Valkoth looked at the body of the Inquisitor Carrow Harald managed to catch and he whistled in respect. It took several hours before his interrogators managed to convince Carrow to start talking and even more before he managed to tell them what they wanted to know.

"How real is the stuff he told us?" Adrian asked and Valkoth regarded the human with a curious gaze. "From what I remember the Inquisition is trained to be as deceptive as it can be."

"Aye, it is," Valkoth said and glanced at the transcriptions. "But one of the Wolves was there for the whole time and we can sniff out lies even from the Inquisition. What worries me is what he said."

"That they plot against the chapter?"

"Among other things," Valkoth said and shrugged. "Since Months of Shame the chapter and the Inquisition didn't see eye to eye on a great deal of things. So the fact that they plot against us is a thing that doesn't surprise me too much. What worries me more is the scale of those plots and how widespread they are."

"How?"

"They tried to drag everybody they could and so far managed only to get some support from the Ecclesiarchy," Valkoth said and looked at the transcripts. "Which isn't the worst thing to deal with, Sororitas are numerous, but for me most of them is a band of useless religious zealots that can be easily killed. I lived for far too long to learn the brutal truth that on the field of battle how zealous you are means shit and the chance that you die or a person who's the most devout follower of the Imperial Cult is equal. More matters experience and how good are your commanders and my opinion about Sororitas isn't the best."

Adrian blinked and looked at Valkoth. "So you don't care that we can have an order of them crash onto us?"

"No," Valkoth said with a vicious smile. "They do it and the Great Wolf will come here with everybody he can get to support us and several thousand Astartes landing on top of your positions is a slight problem. Also the Celestarch isn't as idiotic as the Inquisition thinks and she secured some allies for herself."

"Right," Adrian said. "Adeptus Mechanicus from Mars pledged their support for us and the Navy was looking more favorably upon deals with us."

"Aye," Valkoth said and gave one last look Carrow. "If his masters want to bump the stakes to an open war I won't mind it. Especially if they do something foolish and let me send a message to my chapter's leadership ahead of time. We have contingency plans and ancient oaths with other chapters that wait to be used."

Adrian nodded and together they walked out of the room and towards the training grounds. "Do you want me to push the soldiers harder?"

"Yes, I'm going to do the same for my Blades," Valkoth said and paused to look at Harry who emptied whole magazine of a storm bolter into practice target. "They are a good mix of experience and enthusiasm, but they're not a cohesive force that can be deployed as a single unit. They need to have a couple of missions in larger team and hopefully one or two as a whole."

"There is always hunting down pirates and I have a feeling that we will see plenty of privateers show up quite soon."

"Aye," Valkoth said and paused. "But for that we have maybe few months or years even to prepare. In the meantime, get me a list of the routes most frequented by pirates. It is a time for my Wolves to stretch and do some work."

Adrian nodded and the two of them walked towards the place where household guard was training and honing their skills in case of a war.

o-0-o

Harry looked curiously around as he followed Torin and another Wolfblade he learned was named Gunnar, and was a Wolf Guard in the same company as he was, through the Merchant Quarter. "Where are we going?" he finally asked.

"To have some fun," Torin laughed. "Drink and eat at the cost of the Celestarch and take part in various brawls."

"Brawls?"

"Zealots and other scum tend to dislike us," Gunnar said and Harry gave him a look. "Horus Heresy and the Reign of Blood made inhabitants of this world distrust us and some look at us with open hatred and fear."

"Even if our oaths make us defend the humanity and protect it from danger?"

"Yes," Torin softly said and Harry looked at him. "You need to remember that the Heresy and the Reign of Blood left this world devastated and covered in piles of corpses. And we were the main force in both of those sieges, so they have their reasons to hate us."

"And while more educated people will control their feelings, drunk, usual scum that is in those districts and zealots will cause troubles," Gunnar said and stopped Harry. "If a brawl happens, do not kill them, just knock them out, we don't want more troubles and if Arbites show we let them do their work."

Harry nodded and following Torin they entered into a tavern that immediately reminded Harry of the Great Hall of the Fang with its ceiling supported by wood and large fireplaces set in the walls. In the air there was a strong scent of animal furs, ale and meat that only reinforced the feeling and made him think of his chapter homeworld.

"One of few places where you can actually get decent ale," Gunnar explained as they took places at one of the tables in the corner.

"Also the owner and his family owns us a couple of favors so we can have peace," Torin added. "And nobody will ask what we are doing here or plan to do."

"And that is?" Harry asked.

"Have fun and start some of your education when it comes to scheming and planning."

Harry nodded and smiled when onto the table in front of them made their way large, steaming piles of meat and several tankards of ale. He reached for the food and greedily dug his teeth into it. While he ate he didn't completely ignore his surroundings and quite easily noticed a group of people enter the tavern. He lightly nudged Torin and indicated them with his head.

"Good eye," Torin nodded. "What can you tell me about them?"

Harry squinted his eyes and gave them a look. "Muscular, behave like former guardsmen, necklaces with the aquila, probably some kind of a baton or a knife hidden in their clothes, behave as if they were familiar with this place, yet are staying away from everybody else."

"Not bad. What you just described is a typical representative of our local annoyances known as zealots and gang scum. In this case those are zealots and knowing our luck they will start troubles," Torin explained.

Harry nodded and focused back on eating, yet his eyes still were following those zealots and trying to see what they were going to do. For a long moment nothing happened, but then they became more active and walked towards Harry and his companions.

"Uh oh, troubles coming," Torin said as he finished his ale and noticed the same thing Harry watched.

Harry nodded and before he could say anything zealots stopped in front of him. "Get off the sacred world, offworld scum," one of them spat before sending a punch towards Harry's head.

Harry narrowed his eyes and stopped the punch with his hand before sending a punch in reply, one that was strong enough to send the poor zealot across the room and into other patrons. Before he could appreciate the effect of the punch more of them hurled themselves at the table and forced him to dodge.

"Don't kill them," Torin shouted over the noise as he grasped one of zealots and hurled him into a group of them. "Also, we better make our way towards the exit. Arbites will be momentarily upon the tavern and we don't want to be here when they crack down on it."

Harry nodded and stopping a baton strike with a pauldron of his armor he kicked away a zealot and started to push his way through the crowd which degenerated into an all-out brawl where everybody fought against everybody. When they emerged from the tavern he saw a couple of Rhinos in colors of the Arbites stop in front of the building and unload their cargo of heavily armed and armed law enforcement.

"Something was off about those zealots," Gunnar said as they walked away. "I saw plenty of them fight, but those were different."

"Aye," Torin said. "Calmer and more focused, not your typical thugs, but as if they were there on a mission."

"What does it mean?" Harry asked.

"Those were paws of someone, of whom, we don't have the slightest idea," Gunnar said and Harry looked at him. "Do you remember from your training that cultists are often paws of daemons that want to claw their way out of the Immaterium?"

Harry nodded. "They mean nothing, just need to do some task for their masters."

"This is the same kind of a situation, just the purpose and master is different," Torin said.

Harry nodded, his mind trying to comprehend what was going on and how all of it was connected to him.

o-0-o

Aldrik Voldus stood on the bridge of the strike cruiser as it left the Warp on the outskirts of the Sol system. "Plot course for Terra," he said and captain looked at him. "Brother, I'm not quite insane yet and there's someone we need to pick up from Terra."

"If I may ask, Grand Master, who it is?" the Captain asked.

"A rather unique member of the Space Wolves chapter," Voldus said and gave the captain a look. "I will need a Thunderhawk to take me to the surface and later return to the ship with that Marine."

The Captain nodded, but Voldus could feel that there were going to be problems in the future because of this order.

 **o-0-o**

 **Some behaviors might seem odd, but they have a greater purpose that will be later revealed and the amount of allies Wolves can have. It is an example of a situation, we hate each other, but there is a third person that we hate even more, let's deal with them and then proceed to bash our heads.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N – Another chapter written, mostly not much happens. But one major event is coming, no, two are coming. I know, short, but I want to keep it as an interlude between the last part and the next where shit hits the fan over and over again.**

 **o-0-o**

Aldrik Voldus stood perfectly still as he let the servants clad his massive body in an Errant-pattern power armor that was painted dull silver with no chapter marks. He let them finish the task and took the helmet from one of them and before placing it on his head he checked if the Machine Spirits of the armor were compliant and systems were working. Content he placed the helmet on his head and reached for a Nemesis power sword and a bolt pistol. Once he had his gear and was in this armor he walked out of his quarters and towards the Thunderhawk that waited for him.

The moment the Thunderhawk started its flight towards its target he calmed his mind and extended it in all directions, looking for psykers and their minds. Finding them was an easy task as they were like torches in the dark. He immediately detected hundreds of them, most of them weak and he immediately ignored them as unimportant ones. Once there were just few dozens of them he focused on them individually, looking for a mind that was already disciplined, yet young and showed great potential.

When he found what he sought his eyes widened and it was then when he realized why the Stormcaller wanted the boy to be trained by them. He was powerful and Aldrik could tell that he was yet nowhere near the level the boy could reach given proper training and a lot of it. He stopped probing the second he felt the boy notice him and reach with his mind, there was no need to tell him anything.

"How long before we land?" Voldus asked.

"Five minutes," one of the pilots said. "Should we return to the ship once you leave the Thunderhawk."

"No," Voldus said. "Wait for me and the person that will come with me."

o-0-o

Harry felt a throbbing pain at the base of his skull and at the same time he felt something or someone poke his mind. He dropped the scroll he was reading and sat down on the floor of the room, before closing his eyes and cleansing the mind from all of the outside influence. Then he focused on that something that attempted to get into his mind and tried to look for it, yet much to his surprise he couldn't find anything of note and he didn't try to spread his senses too far as it was the throne world and the Emperor was here.

He shook his head and got back to his work, trying to understand the content of the scroll he was reading. However before he had a chance to do progress any meaningful amount the door of the chamber he occupied and inside stepped in Torin. "You are summoned by Valkoth, now," he said curtly.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as he rolled the scroll and placed it on the desk.

"You will see once you get there," Torin said and Harry gave him a wary look. "I know the same amount of data as you. He hadn't told me a single thing I didn't tell you, so ask him. Just know that he was angry and shaken by something."

Harry nodded and reaching for his power axe and slipping it into the holster attached to his armor he followed Torin out of the room and through the corridors of the part of the spire occupied by the Wolves. He paused the moment when they stopped in front of massive gates reinforced with adamantium and looking as if they could stop determined assaults.

"The Vaults," Torin simply said and motioned at a pair of Wolves in Terminator Armors and six Skitarii to step aside. "Part of the spire you normally wouldn't see until much more experienced, but that's the place they chose for the meeting."

Harry nodded and the moment the gate was opened he felt an extremely strong stench of chaos almost cover him whole and it caused hair on the back of his back to stand up and fangs to show. "Warp and mutations," he snarled.

"Aye," Torin said and placed his hand on Harry's chestplate to stop him. "Those are very old, even ancient Navigators and this is the effect of their exposure to the Warp. They are the Elders of the house and they choose the Celestarch and are their advisors."

Harry nodded, calming quickly and somewhat relaxing before nodding at Torin. "Let's go."

Torin nodded and the two of them walked through a maze-like system of corridors that filled the Vaults with no source of light whatsoever making them rely on their superhuman senses and auspexes of their armor. However none of them put on their helmets as the Wolves never used them outside of direct combat or given a direct order as it dulled their senses. After something that felt like an eternity of a walk through the corridors they emerged inside of a circular room inside of which was a pair of Space Marines. One of them was Valkoth, while the other was dressed in silver armor with no markings and had violet, keen eyes and a short, cropped black hair.

"Good that you are here," Valkoth said noticing their arrival.

"Why did you summon us here?" Harry asked.

"He summoned you because I told him to do so," the Marine in silver armor said. "I'm Grand Master Aldrik Voldus of the Grey Knights and I'm here to take you to the Citadel of Titan for testing."

Harry's hair bristled and he looked as if he was about to hurl himself at the older Marine.

"I have permission from the Great Wolf," Voldus added seconds later. "And if you're pure, due to your immense power I'm allowed to provide you additional instructions in psychic powers. Also the order to test you came from the Great Wolf, so if you disobey my command I can execute you like a traitor."

"If I may," Torin said and they looked at him. "I spend way too many years in the shaky waters of politics of Terra to know what there are few more bottoms to it and it sounds too nice to be true."

"Indeed," Voldus said with a nod at Torin. "There's a group of the Inquisition, better would be a splinter who thinks that Harald is some kind of a daemon in human flesh or an extremely powerful being that can be used for their goals. Leader of which also remembers Months of Shame and cannot forget the humiliation you caused to the Inquisition."

Torin nodded and smiled feraly. "So you want to test Harald to knock out few of the more dangerous cards out of the deck available to them?"

"For this talk this explanation is enough," Voldus said and gave Harry a look. "Will you come with me to the Citadel of Titan?"

"I guess that I don't have much of a choice," Harry said, some resignation visible in his voice.

"Aye, you don't have," Voldus nodded and looked at Harry. "Before we go, one last thing. An oath that you won't reveal anything you see, hear or are told at the Citadel of Titan and that secrets of the chapter will stay inside of your mind. Only one that can release you from this oath is me, other Grand Masters of the chapter and the Great Wolf."

"Is it necessary?" Valkoth asked warily.

"There are things that should remain hidden," Voldus said and looked at Harry. "Do you swear it?"

"I do," Harry said. "On my honor, on the honor of the chapter and on the Golden Throne that I won't reveal anything."

Voldus briefly smiled and looked at Harry. "Then come with me, Thunderhawk waits for us and will take to the ship."

o-0-o

A troupe of Harlequins when in combat was sight to behold, their moves acrobatic, fast and at the same time lethal. Chaos cultists that tried to make the ritual didn't even have a chance to react. The first and the last warning they had was when streams of shurikens ripped the air and their bodies, then came the Harlequins, dancing between their enemies and cutting them down as easily as if they were wheat, not humans. Once the last Cultist was dead and the ritual was destroyed the Harlequins gathered in the place of the foul event.

"It is here that it needs to be done," one of them said, looking at the starry sky. "Here and only here we can rip the Matterium to allow the thing to cross into the world."

"Is it wise?" one asked. "If we underestimate the power we will unleash demonic hordes onto the galaxy and possibly create another Eye of Terror."

"It needs to be done. The Wolf King needs to come and summoning the space hulk in which he and his flagship are trapped is the best we can do."

The rest of the group nodded and started to draw runes, same runes that were drawn on the other five planets of the system. Once completed they would allow for a ritual to happen, one that could shake the whole galaxy.

o-0-o

The Grandmaster smiled as he left the Palace of the Ecclesiarchy, while the Holy Synod of Terra took time to convince, they finally agreed that the Wolves were too big of a threat and should be declared heretics. They also promised to lend him Sororitas and to be exact their war-focused branch, Sisters of Battle. Now he needed to get his agents onto Titan and learn what was happening amongst the ranks of that chapter and why they were ignoring direct orders.

As he took a seat in his Land Speeder, a flicker of annoyance passed across his face when a hololith display flickered alive and quickly was covered in data. He frowned as he scanned it and then a growl escaped his throat. Someone was playing the game against him and somehow wrapped the Grey Knights around their fingers, how, he was not going to inquire. However he needed to hasten his plans and ensure that they would accommodate this change and that the opposition inside of the Inquisition would be silenced. He wanted power and influence, but he was not as stupid as Vandire and wasn't going to make drastic moves until he was sure he could survive and come out on top.

o-0-o

The Great Wolf looked at the message and later at the gathered Wolf Lords and their entourage. "The Sons of Sanguinius call for help against the Tyranid swarms that head for their planet. They ask for any help that can be marshaled and sent in their direction, as soon as possible."

"We have ten companies here and two more are returning from their missions," Harald Deathwolf said. "We can send the ten we have at the Fang. We should be more than enough to bolster the defenses of Baal."

"Why should we help them?" Egil Ironwolf asked. "They didn't help us in the past."

"Because we need allies," Logan Grimnar said. "The Inquisition is once again on the move and we need support from as many places as we can and those chapters can be extremely powerful allies that can save us."

"And it's not like we have plenty of missions close to home," Deathwolf said and added after a moment. "They're one of the First Founding and we cannot let them go extinct, they are one of the oldest chapters and we fought side by side during the Crusade."

"Indeed," Ulrik the Slayer said and everybody looked at him. "We need to strengthen the bonds between various chapters and us, especially now. On our own we won't survive the storm that's coming and with the Inquisition meddling, we need allies."

Grimnar let his Lords quarrel for a few moments before he slammed his gauntleted hand into the hard stone of the table and this single noise cut every other. Lords looked at him, subdued and silent, patiently awaiting his judgement and decision.

"You all rise valid points," Grimnar said and looked at the Lords. "I decided that we will come to help of the Sons of Sanguinius and we will do it with all of the might we have available. Prepare your companies for war and in three weeks the fleet will deploy."

o-0-o

Harry looked in amazement at the spires of the Citadel of Titan as a Thunderhawk carrying him and the Grand Master Voldus descended from the orbit and towards the surface. He grew so accustomed to the crude and cumbersome style of the Fang which was mostly carved inside of the mountain, that a proper fortress looked like a wonder of architecture.

He could see hundreds of spires rise into the atmosphere, between them corridors full of high, gothic stained glass windows and around them positions of ground to orbit weapons. Weapons that could incinerate most of the threats coming towards the Citadel and that is assuming they wouldn't be first blow out of the sky by the Battlefleet Solar.

"This is just a small portion of the complex," the Grand Master said and Harry looked at him. "Psychic veils hide a lot and even more is built underground in various caverns, corridors and chambers."

"I see," Harry said and looked around the spartan interior of the gunship.

"If the trial passes without any suspicions we will begin your training immediately," the Grand Master said and moments later the gunship touched down right outside of the complex. "Put on your helmet and don't speak unless ordered."

Harry nodded and put on the helmet on his head before checking seals and systems of it, once he was content with the way it worked he thought the command that activated the seals and soon he felt the flow and smell of recycled air.

"I'm ready," Harry said and added after a moment. "Even if I think it is a stupidity that robs me of most of my senses."

"Your secrecy is the most important thing for us," Voldus said and gave Harry's armor a look. "If you pass the trial you will need to change the color of your armor. You will need to get it repainted to the same color our armors are as we might assign you to a strike force or two and we need not to show a sign of division in our ranks."

Harry gave a look the Grand Master, but with their heads hidden inside of their helmets it didn't look very menacing. The moment the ramp was lowered onto the rocky surface of Titan Harry stepped out of the ship, trailing slightly behind the Grey Knight. Before they got even remotely close to the massive walls of the Citadel they were approached by a squad of Grey Knights with swords.

"Surrender your weapons," one of them said.

Harry felt hair bristle on the back of his neck at those words. "Why should I do it?" he asked, snarl leaving his mouth.

"Because we will kill you," Voldus calmly said and Harry glared at him. "I promised that nothing will happen to you, but the trial was not a part of it and if you won't be willing to leave your weapons, which will be returned to you the moment we are sure you are pure we will assume you are tainted and need to be put down."

Harry growled, but nodded and handed the axe, all of his grenades and bolter rounds to the Grey Knights that came for him.

"Follow us."

Harry nodded and walked after Voldus, Grey Knights surrounding him and not letting him move in any other direction. Soon they entered the Citadel and once inside he wasn't given a chance to look around and instead he was guided into a small circular room. As he entered he noticed seven Grey Knights await them, their armors polished to perfection and shining with some inner light.

"Kneel in the middle and close your eyes," Voldus said.

Harry nodded and kneeled in the middle of the chamber and closed his eyes, the moment he did it he felt psychic energies gather around him and his body.

o-0-o

Over twelve hours later Aldrik Voldus looked at the body of Harald and nodded in some respect. "He is powerful and pure," he said. "As pure as it can get and those powers of his need to be harnessed and controlled."

"Indeed," Grand Master Perdron said. "Once he wakes up we will begin his training and we'll refine his powers."

"How much?"

"As much as we can," Perdron said and frowned. "For now I will gauge his skills and look for weaknesses, later we can focus on adding more."

"The Great Wolf didn't give any set date upon which he needs to be returned," Aldrik said.

"In two or so years he should be taught everything he should know. Maybe sooner if he shows that he can understand what we are showing him and masters it."

Aldrik nodded and with a snap of his fingers he summoned a couple of servants. "Take him to one of the cells and ensure that he has everything he desires once he is awake."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N – Opening of another arc, Harry's training and Baal Campaign against the Hive Fleet, while at the same time the Inquisition and the Wolfblades play their own game.**

 **o-0-o**

Harry groaned as his eyes fluttered open, he didn't know where he was, but he knew that it was uncomfortable as hell and that the bed on which he was sleeping was too hard to be in the Aett or in the spire belonging to the House of Belisarius. He sat up and looked around the room in which he was, it was spartan in decor. Walls were bare, simple small window was placed in one of the walls, there was also a basic desk, a chair, a chest for personal belongings and a weapon stand on which he saw his axe and several other pieces of gear.

He get out of the bed and slipped the gear into its proper positions and grasped the handle of the door, he pulled it and they opened with a loud, screeching groan, as if they weren't oiled properly for last few decades. He stepped outside and almost immediately came face to face with a Grey Knight that watched him keenly.

"Since I'm not dead, I guess that I'm pure?" Harry asked.

"That's for the Grand Master to tell, not me," the Grey Knight said and added after a brief pause. "Follow me."

Harry nodded and together they walked down winding halls of the Citadel, high gothic stained glass windows providing some light, yet due to the great distance from the Sun everything was bathed in shadows. On the walls he noticed hundreds, if not thousands of banner hang, some of them so old that the letters and signs were almost impossible to see, yet some were bright new.

"You will learn about some of them in due time," the Grey Knight said.

Harry wanted to ask questions, yet he could tell that his guide wasn't the most talkative one so he kept his mouth shut and kept the pace of the Grey Knight. They walked for something that felt to Harry like eternity, when finally they stopped in front of some doors he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Behave with respect and don't show any of your Fenrisian ferocity and crude behavior," the Grey Knight said and Harry's fangs flashed. "You are in our monastery and we don't have much love for you and your chapter, so behave or I will terminate you."

Harry controlled a blood curling howl from leaving his mouth as his wolf spirit howled in fury and anger at the insults. He swallowed and nodded to the Grey Knight.

"Then enter and hope that you survive the meeting," the Knight said, opening the door and letting him pass through.

The room behind was a large hall filled to the brim with shelves, desks, artifacts in stasis fields and data terminals. In the air was detectable a faint scent of incense and old, even ancient books and paper. He passed between the shelves for few moments before he found the Grand Master Voldus waiting for him.

"I see that you woke up from your coma," Voldus said as they approached each other. "I apologize for the way we did it, but as you probably know you cannot be too careful with Chaos and it's servants."

"I know," Harry said and winced. "At least it is better than Trial of Morkai I needed to pass before my training. Also that Knight that brought me here, told me that you have things to tell me."

Voldus gave him a look and nodded. "You are as pure as it can be, also you are powerful, extremely powerful. I don't know how, but given time you can be as powerful as some of the Knights are, which speaks volumes about your talents."

"So what exactly does it mean?" Harry asked. "My former teacher never told me how powerful I was or could be, he taught me much, but never mentioned the topic."

"Because he wasn't sure of it," Voldus said and Harry looked at him. "What I mean is that while Njal the Stormcaller is someone who has my respect, he and the Rune Priests of your chapter have a rather interesting approach to the Warp and its powers. So they also tend to ignore most of the classifications accepted by the scholars of the wider Imperium and while normally it brings your chapter incredible benefits, now it hurts."

"What do you mean?"

"That the Imperium has something called the Assignment, a scale to measure the power of psykers and how powerful they can be. Normal humans cannot be born with the rating higher than Gamma as our evolution isn't advanced enough. However the Marines can as the gene seeds advances our evolution beyond that of a human being, so those laws don't matter to us. Most of the Librarians and Rune Priests is around Eta or Zeta range, the Grey Knights are usually in Epsilon or Delta range and some from among our ranks are Gamma. You are in the upper reaches of Delta and possibly can become a fully fledged Gamma, so not many foes will be of danger to you. It also means that not many can provide you with the knowledge, lore and training necessary to harness the powers you have."

Harry nodded and looked around the room. "I guess that my training starts here and now."

"Indeed," Voldus said and motioned for Harry to follow him. "Those books are the finest collection of lore on psychic powers and dangers of the Warp in the whole Imperium. During your training you will become familiar with a great many of them, however that's for later, now it's time for something else, yet equally important."

"What's that?"

"A single book," Voldus said and picked up a book from a table in front of him. "Liber Daemonica, I expect you to read it front to back and memorize data about daemons and the ways to fight them."

Harry took the book and almost immediately he felt it tickle his psychic senses. "What's going on?"

"A powerful talisman against Warp. A thigh bone of a martyred saint and pages inlaid with the purest silver in existence," Voldus explained looking at the book. "It's the only way we could make the lore not burn the pages and stay on them."

Harry nodded and gently holding the book opened it, as his fingers slipped over the paper he could feel the tickling get stronger.

"But that's not all you need to do or have," Voldus said and indicated the axe Harry had in a holster. "A standard power axe?"

"Yes."

"That won't do. You are a psyker and there are weapons designed to be augmented by the powers we possess. Once I'm done with this part of your training I will take you to the forges so that they can begin forging you a new weapon, one able to channel psychic powers. However, that's for later, now studying."

Harry groaned as he itched for an opportunity to fight and stretch his muscle and studying seemed like a boring thing. Voldus ignored his unhappiness and walked towards a cleared part of the chamber and sat down on the floor.

"Strength of a mind is more important to us than strength of a body," he said and added after a moment. "Also, you're not the most patient, are you?"

"My Wolf Lord and his Berserker Rages rubbed onto me," Harry said with a slight blush as he sat down facing Voldus.

Voldus nodded and simply sat there, not moving, not talking, just being like a sculpture, static and not showing a hint of movement. Harry looked at him, unsure what to do and just mimicked the older Marine, trying to remain calm and not move. He could tell that even if Voldus was completely still, he was watching him and his behavior.

It made Harry realize that the point of the exercise was patience and serenity of the mind, so he focused on the exercises to calm himself and went through a couple of them in an attempt to bring peace to his mind.

o-0-o

Torin stood on the bridge of a freighter belonging to the House of Belisarius and smiled when a ship belonging to some pirate scums hailed them. He looked at the captain and nodded. "Behave as if we weren't here and surrender the ship. Once you stop talking, tell us where will they land and I and my brothers will wait for them and greet them very warmly."

"Understood, m'lord," the captain said and Torin nodded before walking out of the bridge.

"They caught the bait?" Valkoth asked.

"Looks like it," Torin said and took from Valkoth a power sword. "The captain will let us know in which bay we can expect them and we can later board them from with the Thunderhawk we managed to obtain. Though I still don't know how did you manage to obtain it."

Valkoth nodded and two of them walked to a place where the rest of their brothers awaited them. When they entered the room they saw that all of them were busy checking their gear and preparing for combat. Torin leaned against the wall and waited for his vox to activate.

Vox crackled and they heard the captain speaking. "Pirates inbound, they will land in the first bay. Once they are out of their vessel I will activate the jammers and disable gravity for that part of the ship."

Torin clicked his vox in acknowledgement and looked at Valkoth.

"I'm just here to stretch my muscles, you're in command," Valkoth said with a shrug. "You choose."

Torin nodded and looked at the team assembled for the mission. "Long Fangs, take your toys and go to the gallery overlooking the bay. I want you to disable the ship and then attack pirates. The rest will be with me and we will attack the pirates once they're out of the vessel."

They walked towards the bay and once inside of it took place behind crates of goods that were conveniently placed there ahead of time. Torin darted a quick look onto the gallery circling the bay and nodded when he saw four Marines with heavy weapons place themselves there. Two had laser canons and two had heavy bolters, a standard mix for such operation. Normally he wouldn't mind a plasma canon, but he was also aware of its risks and he preferred something stabler.

Once they took positions it was a matter of waiting and letting their prey come to them, when he saw the craft carrying pirates approach the ship and prepare for landing he placed on his head his helmet and sealed it. "Be ready, brothers," he said into the vox.

Moments later the craft landed and the landing ramp lowered, letting out several dozens of pirates. He waited for them to get comfortable inside of the bay and then he tapped his vox. "Jammers and gravity, now," he whispered and quickly changed the channel. "Brothers, For Russ!"

He stepped from behind the crate, magnetic locks in his boots activated and he opened fire at the stunned pirates that tried to comprehend what was going on when the gravitation was disabled and they lost their footing. At which Torin just smiled, cutting them down became an even easier task than before, in fact they didn't even manage to use their swords, cutting down the whole group with withering bolter fire.

"All dead and the ship is ours," Valkoth said as he looked around the craft used by pirated to get here.

"To the Thunderhawk," Torin said as he started to run out of the bay and to one housing the Thunderhawk. "Quickly, before they notice something is wrong."

o-0-o

Harry wanted to shout and yell at the Grand Master, for last few hours he just sat there, not moving an inch and remaining perfectly still for the whole time. "Patience is a virtue, as is calm mind," Voldus finally said. "You need both to fully understand and comprehend the art you will be taught here. Also it is beneficial for normal combat, I won't teach you anything more powerful until you can meditate for hours. But I suppose I can test your existing knowledge of psychic powers." With those words Voldus stood up. "Come with me."

Harry nodded and followed his teacher to a large round arena that was open to the sky and seemed like a perfect place to unleash psychic powers. He looked around it and then at Voldus. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Beat me," Voldus said and disabled storm bolter mounted on the arm of his armor. "Just blades and psychic powers, nothing else."

Harry nodded and ejected the magazines from his storm bolter before looking at Voldus and summoning his favorite part of his arsenal, lightning. Bolts of energy crackled between the fingers of his right hand and he pointed it towards the Grey Knight.

"Interesting," Voldus muttered. "No conduit and can manifest those things."

Harry just smiled and thrust his hand forward, sending bolts of energy towards the Grey Knight who didn't even bother moving or doing anything else. He just stood there as the energy charged towards him and then slammed into his armor, dancing on the surface of it, yet not getting past it.

"How?" Harry asked, his jaw hanging wide open. "That thing should have killed over a dozen of Marines, yet you stand here and seem alive."

"If you had asked you would have learned that all of the Grey Knights receive purity wards from the purest silver under their skin and that our armor is designed to protect us from the eldritch powers that can be called upon by the creatures of the Warp."

"I see," Harry said and looked at Voldus. "So how can I beat you?"

"That's for you to discover and I won't make it an easy thing for you."

Harry nodded and moments later felt a sudden spike in the temperature, he jumped to the side and he did it in a perfect moment to watch a pillar of flames hit the spot he just occupied. He looked in the direction of the Grey Knight and saw a faint trail of smoke in the air.

"Fire is the main weapon of my chapter," Voldus said. "It cleanses and burn the corruption, and let us banish creatures of the Warp back into their foul realm. And we show that in powers we use."

Harry nodded and charged at Voldus, his axe grasped in his hands, channeling psychic powers into his limbs to give them more strength and endurance he jumped into the air a feral howl leaving his mouth before bringing down his axe. Voldus didn't even move from his spot, he just shifted the halberd he was holding and blocked Harry's strike with it. Then the blade of the weapon handled by the Grey Knight glowed with an unearthly light and cleaved right through Harry's axe.

"Lesson number two, Nemesis weapons can cleave through normal weapons," Voldus said and kicked away Harry before advancing towards his laying form. "So you don't duel us in a contest of strength as we will always win." He sent a vicious kick towards Harry's form.

Harry rolled away, barely avoiding the kick and got up from the ground, pieces of an axe with which he trained for several months laying behind Voldus. He crouched on the sand of the arena and bared his fangs as a feral howl left his mouth, then he pounced onto the Grey Knight and somehow managed to surprise him. Voldus tripped and Harry landed on his form, pushing the Knight into the arena's floor. "Do you surrender?"

"No," Voldus said and sent a powerful punch towards Harry's crotch. "I don't surrender easily and you didn't even disarm me."

Harry felt the fist connect with the ceramite plate and the plate cracked, before more could happen he jumped away and landed on all fours. He didn't want to see what would happen if he let the fist cause more damage, but he knew that he wanted to keep his balls whole and intact, and getting treated with a punch from a Grey Knight wouldn't be a good thing for them.

"Don't assume that your enemy is defeated until you are sure," Voldus said and charged towards Harry. "Idea was sound, but if you did it with some daemon they would gut you out and eat your insides."

Harry nodded and braced for impact, hoping to survive the duel with the Grand Master. He managed to slow down the Grey Knight, but an exchange of blows that followed ended with Harry ending sprawled on the floor of the arena, his armor sporting several new cracks and dents.

"You're not bad," Voldus said, helping him to get up. "But that is for someone that's eighteen years old, I'm over three centuries old and fought enemies far more fearsome than you and most of your chapter."

Harry nodded, a scowl on his face as he walked to the place where remains of his axe were. "How am I supposed to train if you cleaved in half my weapon of choice?"

"I'll take you to the forges and you will explain to our artificers what do you expect from them," Voldus said and closed his eyes for a moment. "If they start working on it today they should be done with it in a week time and until that point I think we can aquire a basic axe for you. Not that you would use it much."

Harry nodded and followed Voldus through a maze of corridors that quickly descended below the ground, deep beneath the fortress and with each step they made he felt the temperature rise around them and soon even with the cooling systems of the armor he felt an uncomfortable warmth.

"We're getting close," Voldus explained.

After two more turns and few hundred steps they entered a large cavern in which dozens of artificers, Chapter serfs, Techmarines and Tech-Priests worked tirelessly forging new weapons of war and repairing old ones. In their unending tasks they were aided by hundreds of servitors. However when Voldus entered accompanied by Harry all of them ceased their work and the oldest one approached them.

"How may we serve the chapter and its warriors?" He asked and then shot a glance at the markings on the pauldrons of Harry's armor. "And what is he doing here?"

"He was allowed into the Citadel by a decision of Grand Masters and he will stay here for as long as it is necessary for his training and education to be completed. However that's not the reason why we are here, he needs a new weapon forged as the one he normally used was destroyed during a spar."

"Of course," the artificer nodded and switched his gaze to Harry. "What kind of a weapon that was?"

"A power axe forged on Fenris," Harry said.

"An axe, that will be a rather interesting challenge," the artificer said and looked at Voldus. "Should we make it the same way we do chapter's gear?"

"Yes," Voldus said. "He is as potent of a psyker as I am and if he doesn't receive the best, the Great Wolf might come knocking."

The artificer nodded, humming quietly. "In a week, maybe two you will have a new weapon, one that's a much better one than anything they could have forged in the forges of your chapter."

Harry wanted to scowl at those words, but a quick look from Voldus and the shift in his posture told Harry to stay calm and ignore it. "Of course, I understand and thank you for your willingness to forge a weapon that's not for the member of the chapter."

The artificer just huffed and walked away, getting back to his work. Harry wanted to ask questions, but Voldus didn't let him and simply walked out of the chamber, expecting Harry to follow him. Doubtlessly planning another part of the training for him.

o-0-o

Torin cleaned the blade of his power sword and looked around, the pirate ship was their, its occupants not expecting the fact that they managed to catch a ship with Space Marines. So once the Thunderhawk dropped them on the hull of the ship the whole fight was over before it truly begun. They blasted holes in the outer skin of the ship and dropped inside, starting to slaughter every pirate they came across and leaving in their tracks a trail of mutilated and torn bodies.

"That's too easy," he said.

"I also feel it was off," Valkoth said. "But that's for us to worry later, let's set up a beacon for a patrol of the Navy to show up and drag the trash to one of their bases. Our job is done and we can return onto the freighter."

Torin nodded and gathering his gear he checked that a beacon was installed and putting his helmet back onto his head they started return trip to the Thunderhawk that waited to take them to the freighter. If this trip was going that eventful he wondered what else they would catch as so far three times pirates tried boarding and three times they were slaughtered to the last man with their ships left for the Navy to collect.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Harry's axe and Nemesis weapons, he will get an axe similar in shape to one used by the Great Wolf, but a much deadlier one for the forces of Chaos and its worshippers.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – Finally the next chapter is here, would have been sooner, but my Muse decided to go on a holidays and then I got stuck on one scene. More training, more plotting and much more slaughter and battles.**

 **o-0-o**

Lord Commander Dante was ancient, so ancient that even the most ancient members of Astartes chapters couldn't recall a time when someone else held the post. He was a fearsome warrior and an excellent commander, one that was a paragon of all of the virtues of their Primarch, Sanguinius. He walked along the battlements of the fortress-monastery of his chapter and he could see work being done all around the complex. Serfs of the chapter and even battle-brothers dug out trenches, prepared traps, erected walls and ensured that firing lanes were clean of any cover. Tyrannid swarm was coming and it would arrive in mere weeks, yet the Angels weren't alone. All of their Successor Chapters answered the call for help and their forces were coming, and much to Dante's surprise even the Space Wolves decided to come, pledging ten of their Great Companies and all of the space assets they could spare.

He wasn't sure how the swarms were going to be stopped, but he knew it was going to happen no matter the cost, Baal was not allowed to fall and the chapter was not allowed to go extinct. He knew that everything was stacked against his chapter, but he that there was always hope and that victory was clawed out of the worse odds.

o-0-o

Harry looked at the axe that was laid in front of him and he had troubles believing that such a piece of beauty could have been crafted, it was a work of art, yet deadly. It's handle slightly too long for usage with a normal power armor, but just right to be used with the plate used by the Terminators. Even if slightly too large it was still beautiful, forged out of black metal, inlaid with golden runes and sigils designed to help him channel the power of the Warp and protect him from some of the eldritch attacks of the creatures of it. Then his gaze was drawn to the blades of the weapon that could split a skull of a Bloodletter in one strike and send the beast straight into the Warp. He smiled as he ran his fingers over the surface of the blades and over snarling heads of wolves that connected blades to the handle and hid the most important and precious parts of circuitry that made this weapon so deadly.

"Is it sufficient?" One of the artificers asked.

"It is," Harry said as he grasped the handle with both of his hands and lifted the weapon. "It is exactly what I wanted. The handle is a bit too long for my tastes, but I should get used to it."

"Indeed," Voldus said and Harry looked at his mentor. "Since you have your weapon back we will resume your training with it and we will add psychic powers into the mix."

Harry smiled and followed Voldus onto one of the arenas, there the Grand Master stopped in the middle of it and looked at Harry. "Nemesis weapons aren't normal power weapons as they can be reinforced by channeling our own psychic might into it and thus making it better. Were you taught how to channel your might into something?"

"I was," Harry nodded as he focused on the handle of his axe and his eyes flashed cerulean blue. "It was the first lesson given to me by my master."

Voldus nodded and watched keenly as the weapon in Harry's hands lit with an ethereal light of the Immaterium, runes glowing and pulsing with power and the blade getting covered in a field of power. "Very good," he said and grasped his halberd with both hands. "Now let's see how good you are."

Harry smiled at the challenge and hurled himself at the Grey Knight, the axe raised above his head and then he lowered it sharply. It didn't reach the target and instead was stopped on the shaft wielded by Voldus. "Not bad," he muttered and sent a vicious kick towards Harry. "But getting locked in a duel is a thing that can kill you."

Harry winced as he felt the boot slam against his armor, emergency lights blinking in the periphery of his vision, reporting various damage and values high above acceptable thresholds. He then wrestled the axe free and jumped back with his eyes cold and focused on his opponent. He smiled, baring his fangs and then charged back in, excitement and adrenaline flowing through his body as he prepared for a long duel that would let him test his skills.

o-0-o

Torin smiled as he saw the familiar spire of the House of Belisarius, past four weeks of Warp travel and stopping the pirates were tiring and it was good to be back in the lair. Also some of the things he had learned during those weeks needed to be confronted with data they acquired out of their guest that after few pleasant sessions became much more talkative and willing to share his secrets.

The Thunderhawk landed on one of the pads extending from the spire and Torin briskly walked down the ramp and towards Valkoth who came to greet the Wolfblades that returned from the mission. "Did you find anything important?" Older Wolfblade asked.

"Aye, I did," Torin said and looked around. "But not here, too many damn ears around and it might be a juicy piece of data."

Valkoth nodded and together they walked into the building, servants and members of household moving out of their path. "Good that you didn't bring any injured or killed brothers with you," he said and paused. "We might need as many as we can find."

"What is it?"

"It seems that we weren't good enough in exterminating the zealots lurking in the darkness," Valkoth spat. "Few smaller groups merged and now we face a united force that can be a problem and if that was not enough we have plenty of preachers calling to burn Navigators."

Torin hummed for a moment and played with his moustache before looking at his superior. "Sounds like someone increased the stakes," he finally said. "Preachers smell a lot like the Ecclesiarchy or some splinter inside of it wanting fame and importance. Zealots are our old friends and we don't need to look for one that pays them."

"As I thought," Valkoth grimly said and nodded to a pair of household guards that guarded the door they stepped through. "Our friend was mentioning over and over again the Grandmaster or whoever that is and our guest from Titan also mentioned that individual. What I like even less is that we play to his tune and only react."

"We don't have too many other choices," Torin said and Valkoth looked at him. "To get to him we need to breach security of the Inquisitorial Fortress on this world and without our chapter and few more I wouldn't dare to do it. Ones that fund or order those preachers, Palace of the Ecclesiarchy and that is also nigh on impossible."

Valkoth growled, his fangs flashing. "I hate reacting to the moves of my enemy," he said and gave Torin a look. "Do you have any ideas how to force him to play by our rules? After all you're the one that knows the scheming ways of the nobility and how to weave through their plots and schemes."

"Do what you know how to do best," Torin said and shrugged. "We cannot target him, but we can gut out his tools and without tools he can do nothing."

Valkoth smiled like a wolf and tapped his vox. "Gunnar, assemble your squad and meet me in the briefing room in ten minutes."

Torin nodded and looked around, searching for any potential places where spies could be. "What I found points in the direction of a more widespread scheme than we originally estimated, the full extend of it you will have in a written report, a copy of which I think should be sent to Fenris, but it is bad."

"The chapter won't help us," Valkoth said. "Ten Great Companies are racing to Baal and it is unknown when they will be back."

"Baal? Homeworld of the Blood Angels?"

"Aye, Lord Commander Dante called for help in stopping a Tyranid incursion from laying waste to his world and our Great Wolf decided to provide our support in stopping the threat."

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar stood on board of his personal Thunderhawk as the craft sliced through the thin atmosphere of Baal Secundus and approached the fortress-monastery of the Blood Angels chapter. Behind him stood his personal retinue, twelve Wolf Guard in Terminator armors and more in the Thunderhawks following this craft. The moment the craft landed and lowered its ramp he walked out and almost immediately noticed Lord Commander awaiting him. However that was not the sight that caught most of his attention, as that was done by rows upon rows of Thunderhawks in colors of over a dozen chapters standing in the courtyard with even more gunships landing or preparing to land.

"Lord Commander," Logan said with a slight tilt of the head.

"Great Wolf," Dante said. "Thank you for your arrival and the support of your chapter. We need every Marine we can find and your host greatly increases our chances of surviving the battle. If you follow me I will take you for the war council meeting with which we waited for your arrival."

"Indeed," Logan said and followed Dante. "And thank you for waiting for me."

Dante nodded and the two of them quickly entered one of the massive chambers of the fortress-monastery and as Logan looked around he could see over twelve Chapter Master and scores of Captains and Sergeants flanking their superiors, there were also some members of Sanguinary Guard, but not as many as other officers. They were talking with each other, however when he entered the room all of them fell silent and showed him respect he deserved.

"I will disperse with formalities as we lack the time for them," Dante said and everybody nodded. "The Hive will be here in a week of time and nobody else will arrive before it gets here."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Logan quietly said. "My Rune Priests saw omens that suggest arrival of allies in the moment of need."

"But we cannot assume that they will come," Dante smoothly said. "We need to assume that we are here on our own and that nothing will come to our aid. Great Wolf, since you brought with yourself the biggest contingent of warriors I think it will be honorable to give you defense of the first line."

"It would be an even greater honor if we could fight alongside our cousins," the Great Wolf said. "Two First Founding chapters fighting together as they did since the dawn of ages and hopefully will do until the end of times."

"Of course," Dante nodded and summoned one of his Captains. "1st,3rd, 4th and 6th are to be deployed to the outer walls and will be under command of Great Wolf."

The Captain nodded and with a bow walked away to pass on orders from their Chapter Master and to get those companies mobilized. Next hours and days were a frantic planning session as their forces entrenched themselves in and around the fortress-monastery preparing it for an assault to come.

o-0-o

Harry looked at his armor with some barely hidden disgust, instead of the blue-gray he came to love now it was painted in the same silver color that the Grey Knights used. He understood the reasons for the change of color as unity was an important factor, but he still resented the change, the only signs of him being a member of the Space Wolves was a badge of his Great Company on the pauldron of his armor and his helmet with the faceplate shaped to resemble a snarling head of a wolf. Those two were the only things that were a link to his true allegiance, link that he needed badly as the Citadel of Titan was a strange place where he felt as if he was in a cage. In the Fang discipline wasn't that strongly enforced and he could do whatever he wanted as long as it wasn't an open heresy, here he was constantly watched and the life was much more organized. If that was not bad enough a good portion of the Grey Knights looked at him with barely hidden distrust and in some cases even hatred, while they didn't cause open confrontations his superhuman senses could feel their distrust and that some thought he shouldn't be even allowed to know about their existence.

He focused on his psychic might and watched as a flame he tried to control burst out of control and formed a thirty meters tall pillar of roaring inferno that started to melt the stone of the floor.

"Focus," Voldus said, his voice patient and calm. "You once again lost focus and power slipped out of your grip."

"I know," Harry said with a scowl. "I know that yet your fucking brothers don't make it an easy task." As he said those words he realized that he said too much and the next thing he felt was his back slamming into a wall.

"I am a very patient man, but even I have some limits and lines that cannot be crossed," Voldus said as he approached Harry, pressure on Harry's body increasing with each step of the older psyker. "And one of them is showing respect to your superiors, tho considering that you are a Space Wolf I should have seen it coming. Even if you are among the Wolves one of the Wolf Guard, here you are one of the battle-brothers and honors earned elsewhere don't matter and you won't insult my brothers in any way or form."

Harry's eyes lit with fury at those words and he started to wrestle with the bindings holding him. "Why should I show them any respect if they don't show me any," he snarled and his eyes glowed cerulean blue before he broke the bindings pinning him to the wall and looked at the Grand Master.

Voldus narrowed his eyes and tried to once again pin Harry to the wall and the only thing he achieved was a furious snarl leaving Harry's mouth. "This is your last warning and I will be forced to put you down and send your body to Fenris," Voldus said as he looked at Harry. "Maybe your Wolf Lord tolerates disobedience, but I don't."

"He doesn't," Harry said and reached for his axe. "But he isn't also a stuck up idiot that doesn't see problems and is able to think from time to time, certainly more often than you."

Voldus' eyes flared in rage and he summoned his psychic might, ready to attack Harry.

"That will be enough," someone said as he entered the arena. "Aspirants have more common sense than you two combined can use. Aldrik, stop that attack, Harald, lower the weapon."

They did it reluctantly, but nodded when they saw that the person walking towards them was Aidan Perdron and his eyes blazed with a fiery rage that made them stop. "Yes, Harald is here a normal battle-brother and nobody else, but even he deserves some respect that comes because of the fact," Perdron said and spat. "A thing that seems to be eluding minds of our idiotic brothers and even with all of the will he shows to study, he sooner will be driven mad than learn something with the current atmosphere. Harald, control outbursts of your temper and don't make yourself more enemies than necessary."

Harry bowed his head in shame at his outburst. "I will," he said and focused on the power he tried to master. This time the flame appeared in his hand and remained under his complete control. "Is it what I was supposed to achieve?"

"Indeed," Voldus said. "Now try hurling it at something."

Harry nodded and did as he was told hurling the ball he grasped with his hand into one of the walls, it splattered on the wall and didn't stop burning. It even tried to burn the wall, but stopped and was extinguished when the wards flickered alive and canceled the energy of the Immaterium. "It sticks to the walls?" He asked in some disbelief.

"To every surface and doesn't die out on its own," Voldus said. "Here it isn't that visible as the wards are designed to stop powers upon their contact with them, but in a situation where you face cultists and need to purge them it is one of the best and most powerful tools in your arsenal."

"I see," Harry said and then looked at his axe. "Could I cast it onto the blades of my weapon?"

"Possibly," Grand Master Perdron said. "Nobody did it save the Emperor, but it should be possible."

Harry smirked at this obvious challenge and looked at the blade, thinking how to do the deed and ensure that he wouldn't get burned by the flames as he had a feeling that even if he was the master of the ones he called they were fickle and could as easily burn him as they could his enemies.

"I know what you are thinking about doing it now you won't have a chance," Voldus said and Harry looked at him. "A daemonic incursion was reported and you will accompany me and my brotherhood on a mission to eradicate it and cleanse the world from corruption."

"Do you think that I'm ready to face daemons?" Harry asked as he checked his gear and looked at his axe.

"We will see during combat," Voldus said and added. "Past months of your training showed that you have soul and body ready to face those things. My brothers might disagree, but my judgment is final on this matter and you will accompany me and my brotherhood. Be in the hangar in fifteen standard minutes, carry with yourself just the gear you need, nothing else."

Harry nodded and hurried to his quarters to get what he would need for the mission and to calm his mind with a brief bout of meditation.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar stood on the battlements of the fortress-monastery of the Blood Angels and looked at the sky with hundreds, if not thousands of spores hurling themselves towards the ground. While the fortress was safe from their assault due to a void shield protecting it, it didn't envelop the whole planet and xenos were able to land outside. Massive weapon batteries scattered around the complex, Long Fangs and Devastators reaped a terrible tally of spores, one that would stop any normal attack, but that was not enough. In place of one spore destroyed or damaged three more were there to take its place and deliver their deadly content to the surface. He saw a lascanon incinerate a spore and he smiled grimly as the organic matter of the craft was consumed by the flames. This war was one of the attrition and they needed to rob their enemies of the biomass to win and force the fleet to retreat. Naval assets of all of the chapters gathered on the planet didn't try to stop the Tyranids from making a planet fall as they would get overwhelmed, instead they let the enemy approach the positions from which now rained drop pods and attacked exposed sides and backs of the hive. Each attack destroyed maybe a handful or two handful of ships, but even such a meager amount meant that less biomass was available to the hive and a lesser amount of warriors could be born out of it.

"Sire, first wave amassed outside of the shield," one of the Wolf Scouts reported. "We don't see any Tyrants or other bigger creatures."

Logan nodded and looked towards the teeming mass that was swarming outside of the fortress, ready to pour in if given a chance. His superhuman eyes could discern individual creatures in that sea of bodies, chitin, claws and fangs. He gave it several long looks before looking at the battlements which were filled with members of two Great Companies and four Blood Angels Companies under personal leadership of their Lord Commander. Devastators, elite Wolf Guard and 1st Company were scattered between normal battle-brothers, all of them were holding heavy weapons to support the line and stop the tide. He knew that his Wolves despised the tactic he and fellow Grand Masters came up with, but he also knew that they would follow him into the battle.

"Weaken the shield," he ordered and watched as a wave of xenos poured through the shield. His eyes watched it carefully, estimating the moment when enough of them was let in. He heard fire erupt along the battlements as assault cannons, lascanons, heavy bolters, plasma canons, multi-meltas, missile launchers and grav canons were fired at the horde. The enemy was packed so tightly that a strike that missed its intended target killed something else. As the enemy neared the battlements bolters joined the fight and first lines of the horde were torn to shreds. "Reinforce the shield to full strength," he ordered as the enemy was maybe fifty meters from the first line.

The shield flared as more power was poured into it and trapped inside the splinter that was allowed to pass through it. The splinter numbered in dozens of thousands of alive xenos and even more that were dead or dying, but it was only a tiny fraction of the horde amassed in the orbit and pouring onto the planet. He cut down with his storm bolter one of the weird synapse creatures that passed down the orders to lesser xenos and smiled when parts of the horde became more feral and less intelligent. "Flamers, conserve ammunition and do not fire," he said activating his vox. "We will need you later." He grasped his Axe of Morkai with both hands and looked at the Lord Commander. "Will you join me?"

Dante only nodded and the two of them flanked by their bodyguards jumped down from the battlements, Logan landed on top of a hormagaunt and he felt the spine of the creature bend and break under his bulk. However before he could think about it xenos were upon him and his axe flashed in the dim light of the day and cut through the closest gaunts, drawing their blood and splitting their bodies into pieces as blades crackled with power and no material was a defense against them.

Logan let out a feral cry as he charged into the thickest and most fierce fighting, his Kingsguard to his sides and ensuring that no traitorous attacks could be made against their liege lord. Their thunder hammers and storm shields pushing aside the gaunts and slaughtering them in hundreds as the Great Wolf carved his own path of blood and destruction, he sliced a gaunt in two and looked to the side where the Lord Commander and his elite Sanguinary Guard skillfully fought against the tide of flesh and chitin, their strikes weren't as ferocious or powerful as ones of the Wolves, yet they were equally deadly and precisely calculated.

Almost half an hour later Logan stood on top of a pile of slaughtered gaunts and looked at the battlefield, in every direction he could see corpses ripped to shreds, mauled with thunder hammers and sliced with blades. Even if it was an impressive, yet a grim sight he knew that it was just the beginning of the true battle and that it was a probe sent by the Hive Mind to test the defenses and see what were their tactics.

"A good victory," Dante said as he approached the position where Logan stood. "Not a single warrior dead and just a couple are injured."

"Aye," Logan nodded and looked at the horde outside of the void shield. "But I fear that it is the first and the last such a victory. Maybe we can try this trick one more time, but I doubt that it will work more than that. We are bleeding them in space and shoot down hundreds of pods, but there are millions of them."

Dante tilted his head in agreement and was silent for a long moment. "Perhaps I should have evacuated the system," he said after a moment. "Evacuate it and launch Exterminatus when they land."

"Perhaps you should have," Logan said and then looked at the Lord Commander. "But it is your lair and you don't want to give it away, at least not without a fight and that's why I came to support you. We, Wolves, are pack creatures and we don't want to lose one of the pack if we can avoid it and even less we like giving away our home." Logan paused and then turned to look at the walls of the monastery. "I swear on my honor as the Great Wolf of the Space Wolves chapter that I will either defend this planet or die doing so."

Dante nodded at the oath and the two of them walked back to the fortress as the troops on the walls reinforced their positions and resupplied themselves, preparing for the next wave of foul xenos. Logan smiled thinly at the sight, even if the xenos were clever he also had quite a lot of surprises prepared for them and so far none of them was revealed to the world, all of them at best could be used twice and he was not going to waste them on such probes that could be slaughtered with normal tools of war.

o-0-o

Harry entered his quarters aboard the strike cruiser and dumped his gear into a chest bolted to the floor before walking to the middle of the room and sitting down. He closed his eyes and focused on the heartbeat of his hearts, slowing it down and entering a state of meditation as his mind rested and calmed, preparing itself for combat against Chaos and its taint. He knew that he already fought against it during his first and so far only mission, but then it was just against Cultists, here it was going to be against demons.

o-0-o

 **A/N:**

 **Why Grimnar was given command? He brought the most troops and supplies, so he deserves that most, also makes directing the battle easier as if you have the strongest army unhappy and fighting on its own the rest also suffers.**

 **Flaming blades? Those that remember lore know that the Emperor had/has one and recreating the deed shouldn't be a particularly hard task for someone determined to do it.**

 **Void shields? How they work depends on canon and in some version it is said that a lesser power setting can let in slow moving objects, so I used it here. I also made it so that fire coming from inside can pass through them as any other variant wouldn't make much sense.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N – Harry's stay with the Grey Knights get more bloody as Baal fights for its survival. Read and enjoy.**

Harry felt a powerful force punch a drop pod out of its bay and propel it through the space and onto the planet below. He had seen those things before and he possessed the knowledge necessary to safely use them, but being in one that was currently hurling at hypersonic speed towards a planet was an unsettling experience, especially doing it with people from a chapter that was not his own. The fact that nobody knew on top of what exactly they were going to land unsettled him even more, it was supposed to be in front of a tide of Cultists and daemons coming towards positions held by over a dozen of companies from various chapters.

"Prepare for landing," the Grand Master said, his cool and emotionless voice bringing some calm to Harry's nerves. "Impact in ten standard Imperial seconds."

Harry counted the seconds in his head and when he reached ten he felt an impact rock the pod as it slammed into the ground. Moments later the door opened and he jumped out of the pod, what he saw in front of the pod was a massive tidal wave of daemons, cultists and heretics. From the point where he was he could see thousands of beings charge and roars chants to their patron god, who in this case most likely was Khorne.

"Don't let them past your positions," Grand Master Voldus said over the vox. "Keep them contained and look for the sorcerers that summoned the horde."

Harry grimly nodded at those words and started to fire his storm bolter not even aiming very carefully as he knew that with this amount of bodies coming towards them there was no chance to miss and even if something missed its intended target it would hit something else. He could see a wave of explosions rip across the front of the horde, killing many and wounding even more, however he knew that it was not enough as with each step that was driven by lust for blood, rage and fury they were getting closer to their positions and melee combat was unavoidable. He grasped the handle of his axe with both of his hands and swung the massive weapon, cleaving in half the closets cultist and chopping away arms of the one right behind the first one. Before he knew that the weapon he was given was a powerful one, but it wasn't until now that he was truly aware of how mighty it was. He slashed and cut through the flesh, bone, armor and weapons as if they were tissue paper and unable to slow down the massive axe in his hands.

The first major challenge on his path came in form of a Bloodletter of Khorne that screamed a challenge in some language and charged at Harry, its flaming sword high in the air and threatening to split Harry into two. However before the daemon had even a chance to do much Harry fired into its chest whole magazine of bolter rounds and before the daemon could get over the fact that it's chest now had a gaping hole to it, Harry smashed his axe into the skull of the beast and split it in two.

"You definitely know how to fight," Grand Master Voldus said from the side and when Harry looked there, he saw his mentor and temporary superior dismember a cultist and banish a daemon. "A savage and brutal style, but works and sends those fiends to the place where they belong."

Harry smiled at the praise, showing off his fangs which made his appearance even more savage and wild than it already was. He smashed aside a Cultist that tried to smash his skull with some kind of a maul and charged at a pack of Bloodletters he spotted in the distance.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar looked at the battlefield that stretched beyond horizon and nodded to himself, while the Hive breached the outer walls, it was stopped right outside of the gap and there were still many surprises he could unleash upon those beasts. He looked to the far right and smiled thinly when Bjorn and four other Venerable Dreadnoughts accompanied by over forty Wolf Guard smashed into the side of Hive Tyrant and his guards. Logan watched the duel carefully and when he saw the right moment, he activated his vox. "Flesh Tearers, attack now," he said on one channel and quickly switched it. "Egil, wait for the Tearers to attack and then rush towards the wall."

He heard confirmation of orders and nodded to himself, first came the Tearers their crimson red and jet black armors standing out among the crowd of his Space Wolves and Blood Angels that slowed down the tide. Even if Tyranids were mindless drones steered by Hive Mind, even it was surprised by the sheer savagery and ferocity of the assault that appeared out of nowhere and smashed into their lines. Chain weapons and point blank fired melta weapons pushed back the tide, some parts of it ripped to shreds and some simply evaporated, as if they didn't exist in the first place, and if the enemy had any morale or emotions they would be fleeing right now, yet the Tyranids remained in place, willing to fight.

He was about to order throwing more forces towards that attack when he noticed several massive Carnifexes move towards the gap around which they fought. "Devastators, Long Fangs, stop the Carnifexes," he ordered and looked at the Lord Commander Dante who stood to his side. "We might be forced to withdraw to the second ring of walls and draw them in deeper."

"What about the traps placed by the Scouts outside of the first wall?"

Logan at this smiled and using systems of his armor activated remote detonation device and watched the effects. Everything on the outer side of the wall for a moment disappeared behind massive balls of fire and glowing shards of metal that ripped into everything on their path. While the Carnifexes survived mostly intact, whole swarms of lesser creatures that were around them were obliterated. However before he had a chance to smile a panting and visibly scared Blood Angel entered onto the terrace.

"Catacombs, sir, they are burrowing their way into the catacombs," the Marine said.

"That's bad," Dante said and Logan looked at him. "That's where our ammunition stores are and from there it is a short path to most of the crucial systems of the fortress. Also our Neophytes and gene-seed banks are close."

"We need to stop them," Logan said and looked at his personal Champion. "Arjac, tell Ragnar that he is in command and join me and the Wolf Guard in the catacombs." Then the Great Wolf looked at the Lord Commander. "Gather your Sanguinary Guard and whatever Vanguard Veterans you can find and join me there. Also tell the Serfs to move the gear that can be moved higher up, especially volatile and dangerous one."

Dante nodded and the two of them walked into the building, their personal retinue gathering around them and forming a protective shell that should stop any and all of the attacks coming towards them. While previously it was only for ceremonial purposes, here it was also a real protection as Tyranids were known for targeting leaders and commanders, so them walking without any guard just asked for troubles.

They descended into the catacombs which were a massive maze of chambers, corridors, halls, tombs of former Lord Commanders and the most respected Blood Angels, massive ammunition stores that could last for years of continuous fighting and provided defenders of the complex with an almost unlimited supply of whatever they needed. Almost immediately their senses picked up a sound of something or better would be dozens of somethings digging and chewing through the thick rock that was reinforced with plasteel. Logan just looked around and pointed ahead. "There," he said. "They will come through the rock there. Flamers up front, the rest behind. Assault and Wolf Guard, charge at them once the flamers stop firing."

He saw Marines obey his commands no matter from what chapter they were, showing respect for his abilities and experience that he gathered in centuries of his service to the Imperium and the Emperor. He nodded to himself when he saw first cracks appear in the wall as a mass of chitin flashed in them. "Hold fire," he coolly said, knowing that now they would achieve nothing. "Wait for the first ones to emerge from the wall."

The moment this happened thick columns of flames charged at the wall and the swarm of Tyranids that emerged from it. The first few didn't even have a chance to dodge flames that swallowed them whole and charged at the ones that were further behind. In few moments the whole initial wave was set ablaze, screaming and howling in pain as fires consumed their bodies and ate into their flesh. At this very moment Assault Marines, accompanied by Wolf Guard in heavy Terminator Armors charged and slammed into the Tyranids, pushing them backwards and forcing the swarm to retreat and give back the ground.

o-0-o

Harry sliced open the Bloodletter that tried to kill him and not even paying him any attention unleashed a storm of psychic might at the cultists that charged towards his positions. First few that were hit by the lighting bolts he summoned were turned into small piles of dust at his feet and the rest was shocked to death, still a painful and quick death, but not as spectacular as being turned into a pile of dust.

He paused for a moment to look around the field of battle, piles of corpses in some places meters high and between them moving fighters as the forces of the Imperium tried to stop and contain this incursion. This brief period gave him an opportunity to look towards the Marines that steadily advanced forward, removing those few cultists and demons that managed to slip through the mayhem unleashed by the Grey Knights. On his lips appeared a small snarl when he was able to recognize markings on some armors, dark green, with a white winged sword. "So the Dark Angels," he said and casually smashed aside a Cultist that tried to attack him, killing the heretic on the spot and knocking away few more that were behind.

"Animosities between your and their chapter should be pushed aside," Grand Master Voldus said and Harry looked in his direction. "You're under Grey Knights banner so they will leave you alone and unless you provoke them, they will behave."

Harry nodded and at the same time they heard a roar that would make them feel complete and utter terror if not for the fact that this feeling was removed from their minds. Even without it they felt respect for the beast that caused the noise.

"A Greater Daemon of Khorne," Voldus said and Harry saw the old Marine scan the sky, looking for the flying form of the beast. "We need to pull back and regroup, this beast is too strong for us to combat alone."

Harry nodded and shot a screaming Bloodletter, a single bolt between its eyes, turning its skull into a unrecognizable mass of bones and tissue, and split in two a Cultist that tried to attack him from the side before summoning a storm of psychic might that engulfed those that were in front of him. He was about to fall back more when he heard flapping of some massive wings somewhere above him, looking up he saw a gargantuan form of a Bloodthirster land down almost on top of him and try to chop him into two parts with its massive axe. He barely rolled out of the path of the strike and getting up he was almost knocked out by the smell of the beast, it smelled of the Warp, blood and so much hate and rage that it felt as if it was solidified form of those emotions. However before it could chop him into pieces a withering hail of fire came from the bolters to the sides, distracting the beast and letting him scramble away.

His wolf spirit sought a fight and he normally was more than willing to face any foe that crossed his path, but here he knew he was ouclassed and didn't stand a chance. He looked at the Grand Master, his armor caked in mud and blood, and then his gaze swept over the rest of the Brotherhood, he could see them utterly and completely focused on the daemon in front of them.

"We need to banish it," Aldrik said quietly and looked to his sides. "Paladins, Harald, you will help me with the ritual. The rest is to distract the daemon and protect us from danger."

Harry nodded and focused on his psychic might, calling it to himself and preparing for the task ahead of them. Banishment was never an easy task, but certainly easier and less costly than destroying the beast and sending it that way into the Warp.

o-0-o

Ragnar sliced open a mindless gaunt and stomped onto the head of a one that tried to climb the wall and shot a quick look around. Everywhere around the Marines were trying to slow down the tide, murdering thousands if not dozens of thousands of those creatures and losing maybe a single Marine for few thousands they killed. Yet he knew that this war of attrition would end bad for the chapters involved, Tyranids had the numbers to soak up so much damage, the chapters were starting to get stretched.

"Ragnar, we will need to fall back," Strybjorn said his wolf claws shimmering with energy as he tore into the enemy. "Lamenters and Angels Encarmine pulled back, now it is us and the company of the Great Wolf holding the wall. We pull back now or get overrun."

"I was ordered to hold the wall and I will do it," Ragnar snarled and activated his vox. "Hrolf, focus on the bigger beasts. Sven, take whatever packs that aren't in combat and focus them around the gaps in the walls."

Ragnar fired his bolter at the form of a lictor that almost surprised him, it's long scything talons threatening him with tearing his body apart. He then looked at the courtyard below where several Dreadnoughts waited, ready to face whatever would pour over the wall. He smiled at the surprise the Hive would meet and then focused on the task at hand, he killed a gaunt, reloaded his bolter and killed few more gaunts that tried to attack him and then he noticed something he thought was impossible, ghostly and fiery form of Marines manifested in the midst of the enemy forces and started to slaughter them.

"Legion of the Damned," Strybjorn said in awe. "Manifestation of the Emperor's Wrath and Protection."

"And a gift for us," Ragnar said and activated his vox. "Erik, throw your Great Company onto the walls. We have a chance to take back first walls." He growled at the question. "Yes, do as I told you. Legion of the Damned showed up and we have a chance."

At the same time he jumped down onto the other side of it, his Wolf Guard and Blood Claws surrounding him as they started to slaughter the enemies that were climbing the walls and those below them. It seemed as if the Hive Mind was too confused and too shocked by the intervention of the Emperor to be able to do much, thus letting them to push and take back the land they were forced to give away.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar buried his axe in the head of a Hive Tyrant that led the attack and smiled at the message he received over the vox. "Seems that the Emperor helps us," he said and kicked away massive body of the beast, freeing his axe from the carcass. "Legion of the Damned is here and the Hive Mind is in disarray."

"We need to push forward and use this moment," Dante said and turned to look at the Captain of 1st Company that joined them. "Take every available Company and attack, we will finish the skirmish here and join the attack."

Logan nodded at the orders given by Dante and looked at the piles of corpses that blocked the passage, most of which was of Tyranids, but there were few Space Marines buried in the piles of chitin. Most of them died when the Hive Tyrant showed on the field accompanied by his guards as before that it was a slaughter of Tyranids, most of whom were even unable to attack back and died not doing a single thing. "They will try to dig a tunnel to some other part of the fortress they can get," he finally said. "So we need to keep several Devastators and Assault Marines to stop the tide or we will learn when it is too late."

Dante nodded and activated his vox before saying few things into it. "Ten squads will be deployed into the underground part, now let's join the counterattack and push those xenos away from my home."

Logan grasped his axe and both of them jogged out of the catacombs, servomotors of their armors whirling as they raced onto the surface and then through the main gates of the fortress and then through several more sets in the walls of it while being joined by companies that were preparing for the counterattack. At the beginning it was them and the group that descended into the catacombs, now it was over two thousand strong tide of Marines accompanied by over thirty Dreadnoughts that poured out of the fortress and slammed into the xenos outside.

o-0-o

Harald Deathwolf howled as mounted atop his Thunderwolf Icefang and leading his whole company mounted on top of Thunderwolves, bikes and Land Speeders and accompanied by dozens, if not hundreds of ferocious Fenrisian Wolves he slammed into the side of the swarm outside of the fortress. Several first lines of the swarm didn't even know what happened to them and before they could even turn to face new threat they were dead, wolves ripping and tearing into smaller and injured ones, while the Marines and their vehicles targeting bigger and more dangerous creatures as well as mercilessly killing every synapse they had in sight.

Harald split in half head of a Tyranid warrior and gazed at the battlefield, in the middle of the swarm Legion of the Damned was wreaking havoc, killing everything in sight and if he was right between the forms of the legionnaires he could see feral forms of Wulfen, a sight he thought was impossible and dozens, if not hundreds of Space Wolves in Great Crusade and Heresy era armor. Then his gaze darted to the fortress and he saw that the Great Wolf, the Lord Commander and several Chapter Masters led ferocious counter attack, trying to meet with the Legion. At this sight he smiled and bared his fangs.

"Follow me and push towards the Legion!" He ordered turning to look at his guards and then jumped into the fray, gaunts trampled by his massive mount and bigger beasts slaughtered by him and his bodyguards.

o-0-o

Harry pulled on his psychic might and closing his eyes calmed his mind before starting to chant in High Gothic, his voice mixing with the voices of the Paladins and the Grand Master as they started banishment ritual to banish the Greater Daemon, trying to send it back into the Warp and ensure it wouldn't claw back its way into the material world for the next few centuries.

Even with his eyes closed and mind completely focused on the task he could feel and in a way see the battlefield around them, Dark Angels and several of their Successor Chapters pushing past their position and joining the rest of the Brotherhood in its attempts to protect the ritual and keep daemons away. Most of which became much more ferocious in their attacks as the chant started, ground around the ritual site rumbling with power and faint shimmers of cerulean blue and silver visible in the air as psychic might was gathered around them and the ritual approached its climax.

His body moved on its own and his axe shattered the skull of a demon that approached him, intent on interrupting the ritual and letting its master wreak more havoc, he killed the fiend not even breaking his focus on the task at hand and still chanting banishing formulas and spells. As the ritual reached it peak Harry felt massive amounts of energy sucked out of him and transfered to Aldrik Voldus whose voice sounded like a chorus of ethereal beings speaking at the same time.

"In the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind I banish you, Kar'voth back to the realm of the Empyrean and forbid you from manifesting back in the material world!" A lance of pure, ethereal light flew from Aldrik and slammed into the massive form of the Greater Daemon and pushed it back, charring flesh and wrapping around it like a cocoon of blazing silver fires, slowly eating its form as it screamed and howled in pain.

As the ritual ended Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked around, the massive form of the daemon was burning away, leaving behind naught but a charred corpse and lesser servants of the Ruinous Powers were in disarray. Shocked by the sudden demise of their leader and avatar of their god, Khorne.

"Don't let them regain their purpose," Aldrik said and Harry looked at him. "We need to keep pushing and find the Sorcerers that were behind the incursion."

"There is more than one?" Harry asked as he wretched a sword from daemons grasp and then gutted it out, killing on the spot. "I thought that there would be just a single one that was behind the whole incursion." He fried a Cultist with a beam of flames and shot one more with his bolter. "From what I was taught usually there is just a single one that orchestrates the whole thing, not a couple of them."

"Not in a situation when we come across a Greater Daemon," Voldus said and added with a grimace. "It requires amounts of energy a single person doesn't have, there needs to be a coven that has a steady supply of sacrifices to keep summoning going."

"Sacrifices that is humans?"

"Or any other sentient species that has a soul. Humans are the most plentiful and easily accessible, so everybody uses humans, but I had seen sorcerers using orks or eldar to fuel their rituals."

Harry filed that piece of data away, stepped over a body of a daemon that was torn apart by lightning claws and looked at the line of the Dark Angels that advanced forward, their bolters firing om short bursts. Between them he could spot their officers and Grey Knights that targeted daemons, leaving the rest for normal Space Marines to handle.

o-0-o

Ragnar nodded at the order he received over the vox and looked at his Wolf Guard that carved a bloody path to his sides, slaughtering and maiming everything on their path. He then gazed at the lines of the Legion of the Damned that held its positions and was drawing attention of the Hive Mind, letting them wreck havoc.

"Turn to the right and move away from the path of Great Wolf," Ragnar said looking at Strybjorn. "They want to encircle as big of a chunk as it is possible and all of the pincers are to meet at the Legion's position."

"Risky," Strybjorn said and Ragnar looked at him. "We are already trying to bite an awful lot and we are getting stretched, any more and we will snap."

Ragnae considered those words and nodded. "Great Wolf also said the same thing and he will be directing three Companies of Flesh Tearers to bolster our forces and start eliminating the encircled enemies. Also all of the Long Fangs and Devastators that are available will be focused on our positions and enemies around us."

"At least old Logan can think better than you do," Strybjorn joked as his claws gutted out a Warrior and hurled the carcass backwards in a spray of gore. "If it was you who was in charge I would be worried about the plan."

Ragnar glowered at his friend and a packmate before focusing on the enemies around them, Carnifexes were visible in the distance their towering forms making their way to the front. However before they could get even remotely close to cause some damage a pair of missiles streaked from behind and exploded upon collision with their target. Out of six Carnifexes two were ripped to shreds, while the remaining four were seriously wounded and knocked out of combat.

Seeing this, Ragnar let out a howl of triumph and charged at the Tyranids in front of his positions, trampling several smaller gaunts and barreling right into a swarm of Warriors, his Wolf Guard around him and cutting down anything that could threaten him. What previously was a challenging battle, now with the Hive Mind distracted by the Legion of the Damned turned to be a very one sided battle as most of the smaller xenos reverted to their primal state, letting themselves be murdered by the Marines that wanted revenge and blood.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar pushed aside a gaunt and fired a bullet at its head before he reached the lines of the Legion of the Damned and looked around in surprise. As far as he was aware they never really cooperated with the Thirteenth company and here he could see Marines in the armor of the Thirteenth from the Heresy era and they were fighting side by side with the Legion.

"Legends are returning to the world of living," Ulrik the Slayer said as he shattered with his mace a skull of a Tyranid Warrior that got too close to him. "Hadrian was a blessing from the Emperor and the sign of the legends coming to us and the Wolf Time will be soon upon us."

"Aye," Logan said and looked at the members of the Thirteenth Company. "Who's in command here?"

"I am," one of them said, he had a mane of white hair and a massive rune covered power axe. "Jarl Bulveye of Dekk-Tra."

"Jarl Bulveye can we count on your support to encircle and exterminate those between here and the fortress?" Logan asked. "Your arrival threw the Hive Mind into a state of confusion and disarray, letting us use it, but we need to capitalize on it."

"Aye, you can," Bulveye said, showing his massive fangs.

Logan nodded and started to give orders, making whole companies reinforce crucial attack vectors and prepare for the tightening of the noose. He looked at Bulveye who did the same with his own troops and after a nod from the old jarl he activated his vox. "Attack brothers, for the Allfather and for Russ!" He shouted, charging at the head of his Wolf Guard into the place where there was the most of enemies.

Feral howls echoed across the whole line and then mixed with war cries of various chapters as whole force moved onto the Tyranids they surrounded, slaughtering them mercilessly and reducing the swarm in numbers, killing hundreds and maiming even more as the Hive Mind was unable to direct them effectively and most cared about themselves and their own survival.

o-0-o

Harry raced down a completely black corridor, his superhuman eyes letting him see in the darkness while his nose led him to his target. He turned around the corner and almost instinctively rolled, bullets screaming above his head and peppering the wall behind him with dozens of holes. He rose from the roll and his eyes quickly locked on the source of fire and his bolter barked, releasing two bolts that turned the head of the Cultist into a fine red mist and bone fragments.

Harry sniffed the air, trying to once again detect the smell of the Warp and its foul sorcery, once the hideous scent of blood, mixed with something ethereal and sweet entered his nostrils he felt hair on his neck stand up and a short growl left his throat as he bared his fangs and started to jog towards the source of the smell. As he moved his eyes scanned the darkness ahead of him, watching out for traps and surprises that could have avoided his other senses or systems of his armor that were set to maximum sensitivity.

He stopped at the intersection and looked around, trying to find the direction from which the wind blew and with it the scent. But he also paused to let a squad of Paladins catch up to him. Even if it required him to swallow all of his pride and arrogance, he knew that on his own he didn't stand much of a chance against a coven of sorcerers supported by Cultists. However his task was mainly to sniff them out and lead to them a group that would have far easier task dealing with those heretics.

He waited for the Paladins to join him and then indicated a corridor to their right. "We are close," he said over the vox. "Maybe a hundred or less meters away, I don't know how many of them are there, smell of magic hides the number."

The Paladins nodded in understanding and he didn't push ahead of them by much, instead he kept himself slightly ahead of them, just enough to activate any and all of the traps ahead of them. They came across one small group of Cultists that was killed before they knew what was happening or who was firing at them and then they entered a large, circular chamber where five sorcerers stood around a stone sacrificial altar. The floor, the walls and the ceiling of the room were covered in heinous marks and runes of the Ruinous Powers written in blood of slaves that were sacrificed to summon daemons to the world. Further in the room Harry could see a large pen packed full of humans of both genders and various ages.

The moment they were spotted the sorcerers lashed out and Harry was forced to bend his powers into a shield to protect himself from the malicious spells of Chaos. He saw them arc across a shield he created and then dissipate harmlessly. He then summoned his own powers and smiled as the sorcerers were forced to back down and move away from him. This gave Paladins precious few moments to get ready and fire their bolters at the sorcerers and kill them before they could do more harm.

"Targat neutralized," he whispered into the vox. "Slaves freed."

o-0-o

A massive tear in the material universe appeared at the outskirts of the Baal system as over twenty battleships, six battle barges and scores of other ships made translation into the real universe. They were drawn from the Battlefleet Ultima and the Ultramarines chapter and their succesors with Chapter Master Marneus Calgar being given command of the force. The moment they were inside the system they were hailed by the combined fleet of the chapters defending the planet that counted a battleship, three battlecruisers, thirty battle barges, scores of lesser ships and was accompanied by a swarm of escort vessels.

The moment the communication and the command chain was established the massive armada moved towards the Hive Fleet and began a long range engagement to finally put an end to this thing that haunted the Imperium and now threatened the very existence of one of its finest chapters. Previously fleet in system lacked the numbers and guns to effectively fight the Tyranids, but now the odds were in their favor as a terrible power of Retribution-class battleships was unleashed upon the Tyranids.

To be continued...

o-0-o

 **A/N – Before you ask, yes, something or rather someone is responsible for the Hive Mind suddenly becoming very, very busy and if not for its whole focus more would crawl out of the Warp than the Legion of the Damned and the Thirteenth Company. And now they are in a very uncomfortable hammer and anvil position with fleet waiting to trap them against the planet.**

 **As for Harry, well, he has fun with the Grey Knights and there are Dark Angels around, what can go wrong when sons of Russ and Lion meet?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - Short, but the cliffhanger was too good...**

 **o-0-o**

Harry walked through the battlefields on the planet, his eyes scanning mountains of corpses and wrecks, between them Apothecaries moving and searching for bodies of fallen battle-brothers to reclaim their gene-seeds and add them into chapter's bank where it would wait for the next boy to get implanted with.

He let his eyes linger over the horizon with thick smudges of smoke and heavy dark, acidic clouds of pollution preventing sunlight from hitting the surface. He breathed in the air and he could feel the stinging and unpleasant smell of it as his Multi-lung took over function of his normal lungs and filtered the toxins out of the air.

He was about to continue on his patrol when he noticed a strange orange in color sword wedged into the ground in front of him, he grasped it with his hand and winced as he felt magic try to flow into him. Pushing it away he pulled the blade out of the blood soaked mud and bodies, as it emerged he could see its surface flicker and glow in hundreds of colors.

"A blade of a Herald of Khorne," Grand Master Voldus said approaching him and Harry looked in the direction of his mentor. "A daemon that is a messenger of its god and is usually responsible for keeping an eye on lesser daemons. His blade can be a powerful tool for the Imperium if reforged right and purified."

Harry looked at the blade and then smiled. "A worthy gift for the champion of my Great Company," he said and then added. "Could I get it reforged in the forges of the Citadel?"

"I believe you could," Voldus said and smiled. "But you will need to help the Techmarines and Artificers craft the weapon."

Harry grimaced, but then nodded and made a couple of swings with the blade, testing its balance and if he liked it. Content he reached to a harness that kept his ace strapped to his back and attached to it the sword. "Since the daemon invasion is all but gone, what now?"

"Return to Titan and more training," Voldus said and paused, looking at Harry. "I have a feeling however that you have some great part to play in the near future, one that will shake quite a lot of things."

"Master, what do you mean?"

"I mean what I said," Voldus said and then gave Harry a look. "Enough said that it cost us a lot to keep you out of the claws of the Inquisition and we will use you to the fullest before returning you to your chapter."

"I understand," Harry said as he returned to his duty, his superhuman sense scanning the battlefield and looking for daemons that could have still lingered.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar looked at the sky and smiled, for the first time in the long days of the campaign the drop pods that were hurling towards the planet carried aboard reinforcements. He scowled at the name of the Ultramarines, but even if he had doubts about them, they were good soldiers and knew their duty.

"Why out of the hundred or so chapters from this Segmentum we need to get them?" Ragnar Blackmane asked on his face a fierce scowl as he cut his way through the hordes of lesser Tyranids. "They are useless."

Logan bared his fangs and sent a look at the Young King who almost immediately calmed. "They are our cousins and you will behave," he said and then looked at the millions of Nids around them. "Also there are so many Tyranids to kill that I want as many blades on the ground as I can get."

Ragnar moved away into the thick of combat, Wolf Guard around him and Logan paused to see the whole battlefield. The tide was turned, but the victory was still days away and there were millions of the bugs to kill. He looked up at the sky and he could see the first drop pods slam into the ground and release Devastators and Sternguard with thick protection of the Vanguard and Assault Squads that immediately took off into the air.

"Wolves, join the Ultramarines, now," he ordered activating his vox. "Lord Commander Dante, keep the wings secure and send reserves into combat as you see fit."

With those words said Logan walked forward, his Axe of Morkai drawing bloody toll of the xeno ichor, his personal guard scattered around him and cutting down even more Tyranids.

o-0-o

Torin moved silently down a narrow street of the underhive his eyes scanning the darkness as he tried to find what he was looking for, in his hands a power sword and a plasma pistol, while Wolf Guard behind him had lightning claws and heavy bolters.

"So far clear," he whispered into the vox and paused at an intersection. "The street splits into four, which one to choose?"

"Leftmost," Valkoth said from the comfortable command post of the spire. "That's what our friend of an Inquisitor Lord told us."

"Assuming that he can be trusted," Torin said as he scanned the darkness and then put on his helmet. "What did he mention we can find?"

"Some zealots, maybe a Sister of Battle or two, more zealots and some Stormtroopers and a lot of gear stashed away."

"Just lovely," Torin muttered and almost on instinct ducked as a hail of bullets passed through the space where his head used to be. "We have company! Long Fangs, find cover and suppress, the rest with me."

He charged towards whoever was firing at him and barely dodged a hail of fire from an autocannon that came alive when he got close. He pressed activation rune built into the hilt of his sword and with the blade humming with power he jumped at the zealots. First one didn't even know something or someone was charging at him and died when the power sword sliced him in two, at the same grazing one behind.

"How much company?" Valkoth asked over the vox.

"Bloody lot," Torin growled as he fired his pistol and dodged another hail of bullets. "I think that they were waiting for us."

He heard Valkoth's acknowledgement and then focused on fending off the swarm of the bloody zealots that were everywhere. Torin sliced open a zealot and then let out of a small breath of relief when the heavy bolters roared, their bolts tearing through the zealots, their bodies and whatever armor or protection they had.

However the barrage that stopped the tide was not enough and it only slowed the zealots down. Torin blocked a strike at his head and ducked under another one before slicing a zealot and pulling back. "Retreat," he barked into his vox. "Fifty meters at a time, Long Fangs, get to a safe position and support us." He fired his pistol at a leader of the band and looked around. "Valkoth, can you get some support to us?"

"Working on it," Valkoth rumbled. "The soonest you can have some is in twelve hours."

Torin cursed and looked around, deserted buildings and darkness didn't help in waiting out for so long, but then he grinned under his helmet, it helped them more than it helped the zealots. "To the intersection and there we disappear into one of the buildings and lay low."

He heard grunts of acknowledgment and smiled, chasing Astartes when they wanted not to be found or caught was a risky job. He saw a pair of lightning claws flash to his side and slice open a zealot that somehow managed to slip too close to him. "Thank you," he muttered in the direction of the Blade that did it and then they disengaged, running away from combat.

They raced down the street, their armored forms quickly disappearing into the darkness and shadows that filled the underhive. For them it was gloomy as their eyes and systems of their helmets easily penetrated the darkness, but for their enemies it was pitch blackness. Humans didn't have the Occulobe implants and didn't have any aids in their helmets, so from the hunters they were turned into prey of the Marines.

Torin paused as they turned around the corner and looked around, habblocks and factories that long stopped working were around them. Above them somewhere in the darkness was the ceiling of the tunnel or the corridor through which they walked. He released the seals of his armor and let the unfiltered air enter his nostrils, feeling thousands, upon thousands of scents that filled the air.

"They're close," one of the Blades whispered over the vox. "Two hundred meters behind us."

"Aye," Torin nodded and looked at the Blade with a wide, white mark across his helmet. "Leif, take half of the ground and hide in the buildings to the left, make sure you're out of sight. I'll do the same with the rest on the other side of the street."

They split and disappeared into the buildings, inside of which proved to be swept clean of any valuable things and in most cases the only things left were those bolted down to the floor. Torin climbed onto the third floor of one of the buildings and looked down at the alley before sending a quick look towards the direction from where they came. A large mob of zealots accompanied by some Stormtroopers and Sisters of Battle was quickly moving.

"Valkoth, do you hear me?" he asked, tapping his vox bead, having his helmet hanging from the belt.

"Barely, something is jamming the signal," Valkoth's voice was weak and distorted by static. "Better," he said after a moment. "Magos that is here increased powers of our relays. So what's the issue?"

"It's bad," Torin said and grimaced, his eyes scanning the crowd of zealots. "Sororitas, Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, zealots and all pretty nicely armed."

"How many?"

"Maybe a dozen of Sororitas, two or three dozens of the Stormtroopers and a lot of zealots," Torin said and tapped his bead. "Leif, do you see anything more?"

"Aye, second smaller group, parallel street," Leif said and paused. "No Sororitas or Stormtroopers, just zealots."

"How many?"

"Few dozens."

Torin glanced at the street and then spoke. "So we have enemy that knows we are somewhere around, hunts us and is too numerous to engage."

"Skitarii and twelve Terminators can get to get you in twelve hours assuming they won't meet any resistance, can you fight those problems on your own?"

Torin paused and considered the situation for a second. "If we can get them split and divided, maybe, if they're one blob, not likely."

"Try to reduce them in number," Valkoth said and Torin could feel that the old wolf was unhappy. "In the meantime I'll gather the force and send it towards you."

Torin nodded and moved away from the window not to draw any unnecessary attention to himself or the Wolves that were hiding in the building. They could most likely win the skirmish if given time to prepare and set up an ambush, but with Sisters of Battle it was risky and an open confrontation would end badly.

o-0-o

Fabric of space in an uncharted area of Segmentum Solar sung with barely contained energy as a psychic ritual unleashed by the Harlequins with support of over two dozens of the most powerful Farseers saw the reality bulge and open revealing the Warp or Immaterium. As it happened a massive hulk emerged from the Sea of Souls, its form over hundred kilometers long and dozens wide.

At the same time a strike cruiser of the Grey Knights was passing through the same area of the Warp and was dragged along and spat out into the material world its Navigators and Astropaths screaming in pain as its crew tried to stabilize the ship and get it out of the way of the most immediate danger.

Aldrik Voldus stepped into the bridge as the alarms screamed and howled around him with strobes of emergency lights flashing and flooding everything in bright, attention drawing light. He stood there for a moment, his gaze studying the massive hulk and then turned to look at the captain of his strike cruiser.

"Send an emergency message to every imperial force that can reach us," he ordered and then turned to face a Magos of Adeptus Mechanicus that was also aboard. "Run the scans of hulk, learn everything you can and prepare a plan for boarding actions."

"But –"

"Do it," Voldrus said and then added after a moment. "Make sure that we are not interrupted when we board it."

With those words he walked out of the bridge and headed for his own cell to mediate and attend to his gear as well as meet with commanders of squads to seek their opinions on the mess in which all of them just landed.

o-0-o

Harry sat on the cold, stone floor of the chapel built inside of the strike cruiser, while he didn't believe in the Emperor as a God of Mankind and its Lord and Protector he acknowledged him as its ruler and the finest man that ever walked between the starts and on Terra. He looked at the massive, stone sculptures of the Emperor and his Primarchs that were behind an altar and he smiled for a moment when his eyes slipped over the form of the Wolf King, Leman Russ, his gene-father and the Primarch of the Sixth Legion.

He then slowly closed his eyes and evening out the rhythm of his hearts he slipped into a state of meditation as he let his mind rest and relax as well as prepare for the upcoming struggles and the future. In the corners of his eyes he could see the violet and pink light of the Warp, but then he felt a wave of psychic energy wash over him and the next moment when he opened his eyes through the windows was pouring in light of stars and material universe. However that was not all that shocked him, there was also a weird sensation in his mind that he didn't feel since he left the spire of House of Belisarius. Sensation he associated with packmates and fellow Wolves of Fenris, yet even stronger than he ever felt it.

Then he felt something powerful, primal, yet gentle and majestic, as well as almost, yet not quite human invade his body and mind and take control over him. When it spoke to him inside of his mind it was not a single voice, but a chorus of voices starting with a single majestic and powerful one and followed by hundreds of weaker and lesser ones. _**'Go and board the hulk, find the Wolf King and release him from a trap of ice and then release the Prince of Unkindness from a trap of misery. The time of his exile came to an end and he is needed on Terra and Mars.'**_

Harry felt as if he meant nothing compared to whatever it was that wrangled control of his mind and body from him. He tried to assault it and push it out, but all he achieved was nothing, only an even stronger headache growing and whatever it was feeling as if amused by his behavior.

' _ **If I wanted to, you would be a mindless drone the moment I touched your mind, one of my Angels of Death, I use only a sliver of what I have at my disposal and don't test me. Your Primarch and my son needs to be found and rescued.'**_ The Emperor said, shaking Harry's mind with the power and majesty at his disposal. _**'The Galaxy is burning and the Wolftime is here, go and be his Herald.'**_ With those words the presence left his mind and Harry was actually able to freely breath and regain some kind of an equilibrium.

For a moment he was dazed as he found himself sprawled on the floor, his body unable to move and spasming uncontrollably. It took him a moment to regain any kind of a control over his body and then he slowly and very carefully sat up. The experience was scary and he still had troubles believing it was true and that the most powerful human being in existence spoke to him. It also seemed that whatever had transpired was noticed by other Astartes aboard the ship as after several seconds he heard feet in power armor stomp on the floor outside of the chapel and then burst in.

"What had happened here?" One of the Paladins asked and Harry looked at him, gaze unfocused and still a bit dazed.

"Someone spoke to me," Harry slowly said. "Someone that felt as if he was a chorus of voices, all of them speaking as one and as whole. It felt as if it was a human being, yet at the same time it was something more."

"You said it was a chorus of voices, not a single voice?" Grand Master Voldrus asked, pushing his way past the Paladins. "And was more than a human?"

"Yes, Grand Master," Harry said and saw the eye of his superior narrow and focus on him, making him almost flinch.

"As I suspected," Voldrus said and sent a look at the gathered Knights. "All of you out, Paladins, vigil outside the chapel. Nobody can enter until I deem it proper."

Over an hour and a half Harry spent questioned by Voldrus who while probably believing him, also pressed him for any and all informations not letting anything be missed. By the end of the session Harry let out a happy sigh as he wanted to avoid any more questions that seemed to doubt his loyalty to the Imperium and his chapter. A things that normally would have ended with blows, powerful ones at that.

Half an hour after the questioning ended Harry sat in a troop compartment of a Thunderhawk that approached the hulk to see what mysteries it could be hiding and what truths it could reveal.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – The meeting was supposed to happen at the end of the chapter, but heck, two things caught my attention and such a perfect cliffhanger showed up...**

 **Anyways, read, review and enjoy.**

The Thunderhawk approached the massive space hulk and carefully maneuvering brought itself into position where it could extend its landing gear and touch down on one of the few relatively flat and stable parts of the massive construct of the Warp and Matterium. The thrusters stopped and instead the boarding ramp opened as the atmosphere of the craft with the hiss escaped it and was sucked out by the void of space.

At this Harry released the restrains keeping him in his seat and with a simple command activated the mag-locks of his boots before following out a stream of Grey Knights that disembarked the craft and stepped into the skin of the hulk. He paid some attention to the vox and moved away to a safe distance when one of battle-brothers brought to bear a multimelta that slowly burned through the meters thick armor and revealed one of the ancient corridors of whatever the hell this space hulk was.

Carefully approaching the hole he looked at one of the Captains and with his axe strapped to his back Harry jumped down and slammed onto the floor. It was a dark space with no signs of life and looking as if they were safe. "No life signs in sight," he whispered into the vox and activated low light auspexes his helmet received from the Adepts of Mars. "There are some doors, fifty meters ahead."

"Understood, move towards them and await our arrival," Voldus said and Harry nodded, slowly approaching the door, his eyes scanning the space around him and it most likely saved his life when a terribly mutated form of a Genestealer dropped onto him from the ceiling.

The axe arced through the space and the powers hidden in the blade of it flared to life before slicing open the carapace of the foul beast and killing it. "There are Genestealers present," he muttered into the vox. "So far one, but more is most likely waiting for us."

He heard acknowledgement of it and a second later he noticed ten Grey Knights in Terminator armor appear in a flash of light behind him. He waited for them to join him and then all if them slowly approached the door that looked old, old even in the Imperium that didn't develop anything new for last few centuries, if not millenia.

"Step aside," one of the Terminators said as the chainblade mounted under his power fist came alive and started to dig into the thick metal of the door. It finally punched through and Harry could see another huge stream of air spill out into the void. "Get ready, once I force them open be ready to meet whatever threat comes."

Harry nodded and as the doors cracked open he leaped forward, his superhuman instincts kicking into action and the moment he saw a claw appear in his view he unleashed a hail of bullets from his bolter. Bullets that made a short work of the beast that tried to emerge and was killed on the spot.

"Even more Genestealers," he spat and smiled when a Psilencer fired and a searing white beam of energy burned into the corridor ahead and incinerated several more of the xenos. "But they are not a normal kind of them."

"What do you mean, Brother?" one of the Grey Knights asked and Harry ignored the insult hidden in the title.

"Normal Genestealers don't have orkish features and their hands are thin," Harry said as he prodded one of the corpses. "

"He is right," Voldus said and Harry bowed his head in respect to the Grand Master who was clad in a Master Crafted Terminator Armor. "The Magos revealed unsettling data, holy and precious to the Imperium, yet unsettling."

"What it is?" one of the Captains asked.

"At the core there is a ship that's over twenty kilometers long and matches the schematics of Hrafnkel," Voldus said and at the very same moment Harry dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his head as a searing pain started to build up at the base of his skull and soon almost overwhelmed even his superhuman body.

" _Come to me, free me out of the icy prison," a voice roared and Harry found himself on a field of ice and snow, massive wolves circling around him. "Don't waste time and come to me and free me out of my prison."_

 _Harry looked around, the Wolves, a familiar, yet dangerous element of the landscape. He easily recognized them as thunderwolves and he was very aware of what they could do to a hand covered in a gauntlet of adamantium, plasteel and ceramite. He snarled at them and some backed away, but then a pair of massive beasts approached him. Beasts that were even bigger than the thunderwolves and even more dangerous and old, really old. Their fangs long, their fur almost snow white in color and their ice blue eyes showing age and intelligence not many wolves had._

 _At this Harry's eyes widened as he realized as those weren't wolves per se, but Wulfen, those too weak and not lucky enough to withstand the changes wrought upon the body by the gene seed of the Wolves. He pulled the helmet of his head and snarled at them, his fangs showing and his body preparing for combat, releasing hormones and preparing itself for healing any damage._

" _Back away," he said with a snarl. "I wish no harm to you and I don't want to harm you," he said, his hands clutching his axe. "But if need be I'll fight you."_

 _The Wolves looked between each other and then bowed their heads in submission and moved out of his way. He looked at them and then at a path that appeared between them and led into a thick forest. A forest that called to him, called him to come and explore, come and find something of great value inside of it._

" _Yes, the forest is where you will find what you seek," someone said and Harry spun around, only to find himself facing a short man with black as night hair, golden eyes, a robe covering most of his body and a hood draped over his head, hiding any and all other identifying features._

" _Who are you?" Harry asked, pointing his wrist mounted bolter at the person that compared to him was a dwarf, barely reaching to his chest. "I really dislike when someone pulls me into a vision or dream and even less I like some strangers who show up without any warning." Last words he said with a growl as he bared his fangs and looked at the stranger._

" _Why should I tell you?" the stranger mused. "You want to attack the stranger and don't want to think."_

 _Harry clenched his teeth in anger and his eyes flared in anger as he started to gather psychic might to strike down whoever it was._

" _Good luck with striking me down," the stranger said as he smiled at flames slowly wrapping around Harrys body. "Mightier tried it and mightier have failed it, you are but a kid stumbling in the mist, high on power."_

 _Harry growled and launched his psychic attack, only for the stranger to step to the side and let it fly harmlessly. "How?"_

" _You have the answer in front of you."_

 _Harry growled and fired a volley from his bolters, only for the stranger to smile as none of the bolts found their mark. "How? All of them should have killed you."_

 _The stranger laughed and turned into an eagle before flying towards the forest and laughing._

Harry blinked as he regained his consciousness and saw the Grand Master look at him. "What was that?"

"Something pulled your mind into a vision of some kind when I mentioned the name of your Legion's flagship," Voldus said and then added. "Do you think it has something in common with the visions you had in the past?"

"Can't tell," Harry said and stood up, reaching for his axe. "It felt similar and didn't feel similar at the same time."

"Worrying," Voldus said and then paused for a long moment, the only noise being the air recycled by the systems of their armors. "There are records from the past that when a long lost Primarch or a powerful psyker was found, people around them suffered similar visions. You remember the War of the Beast?"

"One where Lord Vulkan for one last time appeared to help the Imperium?" Harry asked as they moved deeper into the ship. "Yes, I recall that it was one of the most devastating wars waged by the Imperium."

"The same one," Voldus said as he swatted aside and then squished a malformed ork that emerged out of nowhere. "The point I'm making is that when Lord Vulkan appeared, praised be his name, his sons that were nearby felt similar visions and had similar experiences."

"I see," Harry said and bisected a Genestealer that charged at him. "Third one that wants to kill me and ignores everybody else." He noticed as his axe sliced the beast in half and chunks of its flesh fell onto the deck. "Usually they attack everybody on their path, not someone particular."

"And even if they head for the strongest psyker they should pick me," Voldus added as one of the Psilencers unleashed a volley of devastating energy that vaporized several more beasts. "There is something about you that makes them pick you as a target, a thing I didn't see in those beasts, unless?"

"Unless what?"

"Unless they're possessed by the Ruinous Powers," Alaric, one of the Paladins said as his thunder hammer smashed aside an ork and turned into a bloody mist. "I have never heard of it, but this is an ancient hulk and the Chaos finds a way to corrupt everything it wants, whenever it wants, no matter how long it will take."

"Yes, it makes sense," Voldus said and then stopped for a moment. "Our Magos found the shortest way for us to the core of the thing. Good thing, it is a straightforward one, bad, it will take us over four days to make our way to the hull of Hrafnkel."

"And the lower levels will be teeming with even worse things than what we need to deal, now," Alaric added, his thunder hammer swinging and smashing aside a bulkhead and a beast hiding behind it. "I cleansed hulks where at the core we found Chaos Daemon Princes or Greater Daemons and those hulks were relatively young and fresh in the Warp."

"And Hrafnkel was lost in the Warp in 211.M31," Harry added. "The year when the Wolf King went on his hunt, never to return to the Matterium."

"Aye and Primarchs are like a shining beacon in the Warp for those that know what to look for. And even bigger for daemons, they prey on psykers and even if Lord Russ was against psykers he had some latent talent."

Harry nodded and stopped, placing his hand against the wall to support himself against the wall as he once again felt a pain build inside of his skull.

 _He found himself once again in the same landscape of ice and snow, yet this time above his head was a blazing sun and the stranger was standing in front of him._

" _Since you know you cannot kill nor wound me," the stranger said and Harry looked at him. "Can we talk like two civilized people and don't try to murder each other?"_

" _I suppose we can," Harry grudgingly said and then turned off the power field in his axe. "So I'll ask once again, who are you?"_

" _I have many names, pick one that you like," the stranger said and shrugged. "You also know my true one, or at least the one I use in the current times, alas names are not a thing freely given or received."_

" _Aye, they're not," Harry agreed. "True Names of Daemons can bound them to our will."_

" _True Names can do that, truth be told, not only those of daemons, but even beings more powerful and more ancient than the daemons. However while interesting and potentially useful, that's not what I want nor what you seek."_

 _Harry nodded and focused his gaze on the stranger. "So, how did you get access into my mind? Daemons should be running away in fear and most would avoid it, just not to see it."_

" _Indeed," the stranger said and then a wolf approached them and the stranger smiled before petting it. "Wolf of the Moon, one of the most faithful and loyal animals." For a moment he petted the animal before noticing Harry. "Ah, yes, how did I gain access to your mind? There is a link between you and me that let's me talk with you here."_

" _And as for what I seek, how can I find it?"_

" _The Grey Knights are your key to it," the stranger said and smiled. "Also seek Golden Warriors, five of them travels the galaxy and wages wars against Chaos, yet now all of them are stranded on the very same space hulk as you are on. While the Knights can find the goal you seek, only the Warriors of Gold can let you gain access to the thing most precious to you."_

" _Golden Warriors as in Ten Thousand Companions?" Harry asked and when he saw the stranger tilt his head his eyes widened. "They cannot leave Terra and the Imperial Palace on it, so it's impossible."_

" _Maybe," the stranger said and then looked at the sky where a beautiful silver moon appeared. "But for now I told you enough for you to know what to do and how to make the journey to your goal."_

With it Harry opened his eyes, shook his head and ignored the looks he got from the Grey Knights around, he then activated his vox and established a private channel with the Grand Master. "Those visions are getting weirder," he said and then added. "If they're to be trusted, there are some Custodes stranded in this maze and we need to find them."

"You sure they are Custodes, not some ghosts or daemons?" Voldus asked as they started to move forward.

"Yes, I am sure," Harry said and then they stopped in front of a wall and watched a multimelta wielding brother burn a door deeper into the hulk. "The vision was sure that they are Custodes, not anybody else."

Voldus nodded and they walked through the door and stopped on the outer skin of the ship before looking around. They were in some massive void between ships, void that was empty of objects or beings and seemed peaceful, too peaceful. Harry didn't trust his normal eyes and willed his helmet to activate low light and heat seeking auspexes. What he saw made blood freeze in his veins.

In the distance there was an organic structure that started to get covered in heat signatures the moment more Grey Knights arrived. "Fuck," Harry simply said. "That's a Hive."

"Not a Hive," one of the Paladins corrected him. "Just a large concentration of the Genestealers and possibly their Patriarch, if that's the case we might shatter them."

"Or die trying," Voldus said and then muttered. "Emperor Protects."

Harry looked at his superior and snarled. "We are his warriors, his attack dogs, we don't need his protection to deal with some xeno scum," he growled out.

The Grey Knights didn't comment, instead all of them just charged towards the Genestealers with beams and arcs of pure psychic energy flying towards the Genestealers. At first they vaporized maybe a few with each strike, however soon dozens were hit and even more when the heavy bolters, Psilencers and assault cannons carried by some of the brothers added their weight of fire to the destruction.

As the lines clashed Harry ducked under a swing of claws, fired a short burst at the creature that attacked him, then punched another one in the face and finally brought his axe in an arc and smiled as the blade sliced open the chest of a beast to unfortunate to stumble upon his path. He felt claws rake against his armor and stepping back he stomped onto the head of one that was barely alive, yet alive enough to attack, and crushed its skull with an audible crunch. And then the battle ended as the Champion drove his sword into the chest of the Patriarch and slew the foul beast.

When this happened all the beasts that until now were relentlessly attacking their line lost their focus and started to attack themselves and them, making their eradication a relatively simple and easy task. Harry looked around and he could see piles of corpses and some torn into hundreds or even thousands of chunks, making recognizing them a tad difficult task. Not that any would care about it as all they cared about was to make their way to the core and reach their target.

"Be careful," Harry heard in the vox as he moved between the corpses and then looked towards the other end of the void, one where the lair of the Genestealers was.

Something inside of that space was calling to him, something he couldn't quite name or pinpoint, yet it was a thing he knew he could trust. He felt some bones and carapaces crunch under his boots and then he shattered a thin wall with his axe and came face to face with a golden warrior. A warrior that towered over him and wielded a kind of weapon that was impossible not to recognize.

"Don't attack me, son of Fenris," the Custodian said and Harry frowned how someone managed to gain access to the vox system of his armor. "We've been listening to your network since you boarded the ship."

Harry nodded and then as the adrenaline induced rage and fury of combat died down in his mind he bowed his head in submission and moved to the side as the give Custodians walked past him. Their armor shining and covered in masterful artwork showing the glory of the Emperor and the Imperium, yet as opposed to many other imperial pieces of gear, there was nothing obnoxious and loud about it.

"Lead us to your leader," the Custodian in the middle said and Harry looked at him. "Don't question me, wolf, I am one of the Emperor's Companions and once was one of the Captain-Generals of his Companions. You might be marked by Him and have a role to play, but I'm here in charge and you obey me."

"Of course," Harry hurriedly said and the six of them walked towards the place where the rest of the Grey Knights gathered. "Grand Master," Harry said as he stopped in front of Voldus and then bowed his head in a show of respect. "The Custodians found me and they wish to speak with you."

There was some murmuring from the gathered Grey Knights as they looked at the Custodians, each of them easily towering over mighty Grey Knights and making them look like smaller and lesser cousins. There was a moment of silence as the Grand Master and the Custodians talked with each other, however when this ended Harry could feel and almost smell tensions and hopes in the air as they looked at the Companions.

"The Custodians will guide us deeper into the ship and will allow us to access our goal," Voldus said and Harry smiled ferally. "They will lead us and will be in command, obey them as if you obeyed me and don't question their commands."

Harry looked at the Custodian that seemed the most powerful and was almost immediately swallowed by darkness and when he regained his sight he was once again in the freaky vision. However this one was different and even weirder if he could use such a word to descrive what he was seeing and experiencing.

 _There they were cloaked in shadows, Harry found his arms raising a rifle, one for hunting or assassination work he assumed. He looked through the crosshairs and his armors optics increased it even further. He looked behind and in the low light, near darkness, where most Astartes couldn't see as clearly, he saw true. What for them would be shapes, for him was objects he could clearly see and describe as easily as if they were standing under the light of a star._

 _Matte black armour, so sleek and light wrapping like a ferrocrete wall of a home. Protective and stable, yet flexible due to the molecular bolts on the shoulders making it feel and move like a second skin._

" _Keep watch brother...Bring Unkindness and misery to our foes." He nodded "Where we walk, we walk unseen. Where we strike, we strike hard. With true aim we hit our targets, we hit our targets always. We are the Mor Deythan. The unkindest of unkind, the true childe of ye Raven King. We have work to do...Fear us prey, fear us victim, not even your shadow is safe.' With that He locked onto his cousin Shir Shadiru of the Word Bearers and fired._

 _When he fired Harry was pulled out of the vision and landed once again on the familiar field of ice and snow, his eyes immediately focused on the stranger. "So I see that you saw the work of the children of the Prince of Unkindness," the stranger said and Harry looked at him, eyes narrowed into a pair of slits. "You know who it is, yet you seem oblivious to the most obvious and blatant truths, so let's move on. You met the Golden Warriors, didn't you?"_

" _How do you know it?" Harry growled. "You don't sit at the back of my head and watch the world through my eyes?"_

 _The stranger tilted his head and smiled. "No, but you just suggested a thing I should have done since the start," he said and then his eyes flared gold. "I just take a look at your memories as I see fit. But going back to the Golden Warriors, you met them, didn't you?"_

" _Let's assume that I did," Harry said and sat down on the snow. "What now?"_

" _Trust them and their judgment and they shall take you on a journey to your goal," the stranger said and then they were sitting between trees. "You are far closer than you think you are, yet you don't know it and you cannot imagine the honors you are about to receive."_

Then the vision had ended and Harry shook his head, returning to the world of living and when he looked around he saw one of the Custodians look at him with perhaps some curiosity and interest. "Possession?" The Custodian asked.

"No," Harry said and shook his head. "It isn't anything chaotic, it is definitely human and representing order."

"Interesting, He wouldn't have done it," the Custodian said and noticed he said it aloud. "This of no value and importance, let's move on."

Harry nodded and followed the Custodians who easily cleared a path through hordes of Cultists and lesser daemons that hurled themselves at the group. Seeing those demigods fight was a thing Harry knew he would remember for the rest of his possibly centuries long life. They were like blurs, dodging and avoiding strikes he thought were impossible to evade. At the same time their attacks were always finding their marks, splitting open helmets, shattering skulls, finding chinks and weaksposts in armors, and slaughtering daemons as if they were chaff, not terrible beasts born out of the Warp.

"Seeing them is like seeing heroes of old wage wars," Harry said as he killed a daemon that slipped past one of the Custodians and somehow avoided the strike that should have finished it. "I know that I am above a human, but they..." He shook his head in wonder.

"But they are the pinnacle of humanity and stand even above us," Voldus said and Harry could feel some reverence and respect emit out of the Grey Knight. "We are created from gene-seeds of Primarchs, they are created from the genetic matrix of the Emperor and given the best gear."

Harry nodded and let his gaze slip over the trail of butchered Cultists before looking towards the hole they were cutting in the outer hull of some ship. They followed the Custodes out of the ship and then Harry felt both of his hearts stop for a moment. In front of them was their goal, massive battleship and one of the monuments of humanity's glory. Only part of its hull visible from the spot where they were, however even this was enough to identify it as Hrafnkel, the flagship of the Sixth Legion, the Space Wolves.

As he saw their goal Harry felt himself once again dragged into his own mind and this time he fully embraced the feeling.

 _Yet again he was in the very same ice and snow covered landscape, with the same stranger, however the stranger changed, he was not alone, but on his shoulder was sitting a large raven, above him flew an eagle and in the distance Harry could see a large wolf._

" _You found the prison of the Wolf King," the stranger said and smiled. "A feat I thought would see you die and fall killed by the one of the beasts lurking around the hulk. Yet you passed one of the three trials, trials very similar to what the Wolf King of Vlka Fenryka passed when challenged by the Emperor."_

" _A feat of strength, a drinking and eating contest," Harry said, the knowledge appearing in front of his eyes. "Two won by the Wolf King and the first one by the Emperor, after which the Wolf King kneeled and swore fealty to the Emperor."_

" _Indeed," the stranger said and then gave Harry a look. "Then the time of glory, majesty and reason, the Great Crusade came and then the dark days when the Imperium shook and bled in the times of fratricide and bloodshed. Once those times passed the Wolf King went on a campaign to find the means to heal and save his father."_

" _And this is how he ended in the space hulk?" Harry inquired._

" _Well, space hulk form at random and he could have ended in one because of bad luck in the Warp," the stranger said and then Harry could swear he could see a playful smirk on his lips. "However I think some forces might have moved and caused this. The Wolf of War is one of the themes in the Eldari prophecies about Rhana Dandra and some of their gods might have been able to use some splinters of their powers to manipulate the Immaterium and trap the Wolf until the right time came for it."_

 _Harry growled at this and was about to shoot the stranger when he saw him smile and remain completely calm._

" _Even if they are xenos and foul ones at times, they're also the ones that brought the thing into the Matterium and we both need each other to survive the incoming storm," the stranger said and Harry looked at him. "Finding the Wolf King and freeing him out of the bounds of ice and metal will be the first step on this road to the next Great Crusade."_

 _With those words Harry's mind returned to his body and cut..._ Nasty, yes, I know, but sorry, the author needs a bit of time for himself and needs to somehow keep readers attention.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Reviews:**

 _Radeisth –_ a very good question about Deathwatch and it depends, like if you are your usual grunt, sure, if you are one of commanders not really. Technically can, but too precious to release.

 _Guest_ – well, the Warp is known for being extremely freaky and random and who didn't say that when moping up the trash called the zealots they won't stumble upon a portal leading into say 997.M2?


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N - And another chapter done and I reached for some things I thought I wouldn't reach, but I used them and it looks really good. Also some slight, minor modifications to the general lore happened, but unless one knows for what to look they'll miss it.**

 **o-0-o**

Harry came back to reality and then looked at the ship in front of him before getting up and grasping his axe. "This is where our goal is," he said, his voice growly, his fangs exposed and his hair flying behind him like an untamed mane. "We need to board it and find the Wolf King."

"Boarding it will be a relatively simple thing," one of the Custodians said and Harry sent a confused look at the warrior. "I was aboard this ship during the times of the Crusade and in front of us is one of the smaller landing bays. And from there we should be able to reach the command deck."

Harry nodded and they carefully made their way across shattered remains of various ships, landers and other vehicles that were lost in the Warp and formed this space hulk. There were also occasional Cultists and daemons that somehow managed to survive in the hellish atmosphere. Systems of Harry's armor showed the temperature spike from extreme hot to extreme cold at random, with an added bonus of fluctuations in the gravity so he only smiled as a malformed heretic with spindly arms hurled itself at him.

His axe flew through the air and severed the head from the rest of the body in a shower of blood and he completely ignored few more splotches of it on his armor. He then climbed on top of a Thunderhawk painted in green and gold and looked towards the hull of Hrafnkel that was now only meters away. As Harry looked at the hull the sensation of being with his pack and close to his leader was almost overwhelming and he felt as if he could grasp it with his hands.

"Captain-General," Harry asked and the Custodian looked at him with some curiosity. "You said that you were there in the times of the Heresy, do you know how many of my brothers there can be?"

"The records of your Legion and later Chapter were always convoluted and unclear," the Custodes said and Harry nodded. "However the data we have and is reliable suggests that there can be as many as fifteen thousand battle brothers, his bodyguards and most elite troops as well as any and all gear and equipment they had at the time."

"So more than two times the current strength of the chapter," Harry said quietly and Custodian shoot him a look. "When I left for Holy Terra, the chapter had over seven thousand and five hundred more training and passing the transformation."

"Obedience of the rules seems as not the strongest side of your chapter," the Custodian remarked and Harry nodded. "But for the moment it doesn't matter and what matters more is how we enter the ship."

"What's the issue?" Grand Master asked.

"The Wolves even if rash and brutal and crude also really hate giving up anything they own. So the whole ship is booby trapped and they can be disabled from inside."

"What kinds of traps?"

"Everything from silly to deadly," the Custodian said and shrugged. "I can disable most, bust most will only reveals itself in the presence of a Wolf."

"And if I'm right, they can be disabled from the bridge or the engine room," Harry said and all looked at him. "I'm a Wolf Guard of the Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane and I learned such things as this and we use it in our fortress and on our current ships."

"Good, even really good," one of the Custodians said and Harry then looked at him. "You should know some of the secrets that can let us pass through, relatively unharmed."

"I cannot reveal them unless in the presence of fellow Wolves," Harry added, subtle warning to his voice as he bared his fangs and a snarl built at the back of his throat.

"I know," the Custodian said and Harry sent a look at him, one that suggested him contemplating beheading the annoying warrior. "I don't ask you to reveal them as I was one reminded by the Primarch of your Legion not to think about it."

"I can live with that," Harry said and then paused when he saw a portal appear above their heads with a massive winged and horned form crawling out of it. "Did any of us asked a Bloodthirster to show up?"

"No," the Custodian said and then added. "But it is quite fortunate, after all we need something to trigger some defenses and this is as good as anything."

Before Harry could comment a familiar howling sound of the jetpack was heard and they saw a lone being separate itself from the ship and hurl itself at the daemon. What followed was a brief bout of combat as that someone hurled the daemon at one of the jagged spikes of metal and once it was impaled he leaped at the beast and easily severed its head from the rest of the body.

"That's impossibile," Voldus commented as the severed head rolled towards them. "No Space Marine can do that...Not even Grand Master Draigo."

"Because the one who did this was no Marine." One of the Custodes commented and then added. "This is most certainly the work of a Primarch, one of the more physically capable ones...The way The Primarch moved, the precision...I never had the fortune to serve with him, but I heard of him..." The Custodes would have snorted "He was a silent one. Stay alert brothers, be on your guard."

"Who are you? In my Father's name speak! Speak true, speak clear for your fate will not be as quick." The Primarch said silky, his voice seemingly coming from everywhere.

"Harald! Son of House Belisarius, sworn allies to the Wolf King. Wolf Guard of Wolf Lord Ragnar. Ragnar the Young Lord, Ragnar the Savage, Ragnar the Brutal. I serve as a part of his personal Wolf Pack, as Wolf Guard." Harry said, his Terran Fenrisian accent blurring thickly.

"You are an awfully long way from home young Wolf Guard. What has caused this fall from Grace? Step through...alone." Came the soft silky tones, this time less silky more the quiet wind that permeated the 'Halls of Valhalla' where true Sons of Fenris were entombed.

"Go...Follow his orders." Ordered the Captain-General.

Harry nodded and walked forward, airtight seals of his helmet released and letting him taste the air and as he walked into the darkness he completely ignored his sight and instead focused on his ears and nose to lead him to his target. "Show yourself!" he yelled. "Reveal yourself!"

There was a moment of silence and then Harry more felt than heard a rush of air as something or someone landed in front of him. "You are an awfully brash and courageous young wolf," the voice commented and Harry tensed. "Yet you are a true son of the wolf. Not many have the courage to shout at a Primarch. One that holds your light in their claws. So speak, what do you do here of all places? Your armor carries markings of the Wolf Guard and Wolfblades, yet is painted silver like the Grey Knights around you."

"I was sent to the Wolfblades as a part of an agreement between the Great Wolf and the Celestarch," Harry said and then grimaced, anger building up at the back of his throat. "The armor color is an effect of me being sent to the Grey Knights to keep me out of the claws of the Inquisition."

"You speak truth," the voice said and Harry could detect questions hidden in it. "What year it is? Warp makes one lose their feeling of passing time."

"998.M41."

"Almost eleven thousand years since when father was interred on the Golden Throne," the voice said and then paused. "And since the start of my banishment of penance."

Harry increased power of the auspexes of his helmet and was finally able to see the owner of the voice in any kind of details, he was huge, over ten feet tall, closer to twelve to be honest, his body clad in a matte black power armor. On his back jetpack with large, wing-like parts growing from it and spreading to the sides. His face was sullen with dark as night eyes and framed by long pitch black hair and it made some memories come out of the corners of Harry's mind. He quickly recognized the person or being in front of him as Corvus Corax, the Prince of the Unkindness and the Primarch of the Nineteenth Legion.

"My Lord," Harry said in some reverence as he dropped to his knees, pulling the helmet of his head and bowing it in a sign of submission.

"Be at ease, young Wolf," Corax said and Harry looked at the giant. "You are here to free your Primarch and there is no need for you to kneel before me."

Harry got up, his suit whirling, whirring and everything else "My Lord…Where are the armouries? Are you here alone? What weapons are on board?"

"Easy, one thing at a time," Corax said, some amusement in his voice. "No, I'm not alone as I didn't disappear into the Warp completely alone and had allies with me...Although I wish they didn't...But I am forever grateful for them...Anyway first things first and we need to get on board of that thing."

Harry nodded and following the Primarch made his way back to the Grey Knights and Custodes that seemed to patiently wait for them, yet Harry could smell that most was scared and wasn't quite sure if he would come back. The previously agreed plan was slightly modified to accommodate the Primarch and they made their way to the gates of one of the hangars.

"Opening it won't be easy," Harry said as he looked at some thirty meters tall, some hundred meters long and Emperor only knew how thick slab of armor that was generously called gate. It's surface bore scars of combat and was covered in chains of runes that formed powerful wards, however it also seemed completely undamaged.

"We can always use meltas and burn through the gate," one of the Custodians said as he looked at his spear that had built-in a weapon Harry never saw.

"That won't be necessary," Corax said and they looked at him. "I had a similar flagship and even if we had them modified to what we wanted or liked, the basic construction was the same. And fifty or so meters to one side there should be a small access hatch or door."

They spread out and using their weapons to feel the metal and find the place that could be door. Harry paused as he moved his armored hand over the smooth surface of the gate and then frowned as he felt a small chink, too straight and narrow to he caused by combat. He then trailed his fingers along it and something clicked under them and door slowly revealed itself.

"That was probably the hardest part," Corax said as they slipped into one of the cavernous hangars. "The traps are annoying, but we know where to go and I disabled some."

Harry ignored those words and instead looked around, the gigantic space was filled with hundreds of Thunderhawks, Land Raiders, Land Speeders and many, much more ancient crafts he couldn't even name. They stood in orderly rows, as if waiting to be used and deployed in some combat zone.

"Large ones are called Stormbirds," Corax said as they walked between rows of those gunships. "Relics from the times of the Great Crusade, we used them as Legions were larger and needed to move more men. The Thunderhawks were supposed to supplement the design, not completely replace it. And this is one of the smaller hangars, the main ones are elsewhere and would have been a better access point, but this one is good enough." Then he picked up a piece of scrap laying on the floor and hurled towards the corridor leading out of the hangar. It slammed into a some kind of a barrier and vanished in a flash of gold.

"Standard kind of a trap," one of the Custodians said. "The emitters and embedded in and around the doorframe and have enough of power to incinerate power armor."

"Find a different path?" Harry suggested. "Usually there are dozens of ways out of each room."

"Oh, there are," the Custodian said before focusing on the doorway and starting to inspect it. "But usually they are more trapped than the main road."

They watched in silence as the Custodians carefully examined the doorframe and then one of them slammed the blade of his spear into an innocently looking rune. There was a sudden explosion of light and Harry could see arcs of energy jump all over the walls and even cover their armors in dangerous discharges.

"That's not a thing I expected," Harry commented as he walked deeper. "We now use plasma or laser cannons to keep nasties inside of the hangar."

"Remember, this was a ship designed for a Primarch," Corax commented. "We got what we asked for and the best systems were made available to us. This bit was actually designed by one of my brothers."

"The Gorgon," one of the Custodians recalled. "The best designer out of all Primarchs."

Corax silently nodded and they walked down one of the massive corridors and Harry felt as if he was traveling down the corridors of the Fang. It all felt so similar, wolf pelts and hunting trophies adorning the walls, wooden supports along the ceiling, banners of companies in the alcoves and an overwhelming scent of the Wolves. Between all of this were hidden traps, some just silly and harmless, while some made them curse the ingenuity of the designers and their love for spiky and sharp things.

Harry dodged an axe that came hurling out of nowhere and then ducked as a hail of bolter rounds almost turned his head to bloody mist. He reached for a bolt pistol attached to his belt and fired it at the turret and smiled when the defense fell silent. Once it wasn't firing he got up and approached the door which it was defending. Two thick slabs of metal covered in carvings of wolves and Fenrisian runes that the moment he got close started to glow. He placed his hand on the wolf head that was in the middle and the door hissed before opening and revealing the bridge.

When they moved aside and revealed what was hidden behind, Harry had troubles believing his eyes. The space was huge and obviously belonged to the Wolves, yet at the same time it was practical and simplistic in design. The command throne for the Primarch and one for the captain of the ship placed on a raised dais in the middle and around them positions for other members of command staff and directly in front of the command thrones massive holographic projectors.

"It's massive," Harry said, his eyes slipping in wonder over the consoles and viewports hidden by the blast doors. "Bridge of a battlecruiser feels small compared to this."

"Even bridge of a battleship feels small after seeing this," one of the Custodians said as he approached one of the consoles and started to input commands, ignoring Harry's questionable looks about doing it without a Tech-Priest nearby. "Traps are disabled and now there's a question to answer. Should we wake up Russ from his hibernation or not."

"Why not?" Harry asked and Corax laughed, making Harry growl in the direction of the Primarch.

"My brother is… let's say rash and doesn't think before doing something," Corax said and then added. "If you haven't noticed, we are buried in a giant pile of scrap. And he won't help us with his rage too much as we try to get out of here."

"Indeed," one of the Custodians said and then pulled the helmet of his head, revealing a bald, scarred face with several service studs. "Time for me to stop hiding my true station and position."

Corax looked at the Custodian and Harry could see him smiling. "Why didn't you reveal you are Constantin Valdor?" Corax asked in wonder. "You would have made our lives so much easier."

"There was no need for it," Valdor said and Harry gasped as he realized that the man in front of him was like a living and walking legend, one of the few people that knew the Emperor and Primarchs. "But now there is a need for it." he then glanced at one of the other Custodians. "Activate communication systems and use them to pass a message to the strike cruiser. Have it be set for immediate transmission and request presence of several Arc Mechanicus in system in the next three weeks, have it contain the usual honorifics and titles of the Captain-General and the rest of the usual formulas."

"So what do we do now?" Harry asked in wonder.

"Wait, let the Grey Knights in to investigate and eradicate anything that may contaminate this holy ship…" Corax ordered, 'Yes, it felt good to command again...Now, to test the rancour of the Young Wolf...He looks and sounds so much like Fenrir.' "Might thin them out a bit..." He finished in such a tone that strained even the Custodes sensitive hearing. "Young Wolf, start waking your brethren from their dog naps and I'll storm the nests." Corax stated.

Harry snorted, "Sounds like you're expecting me to get punched."

Corax nodded "That's partially true. Your brethren...don't like being confined or intruders."

Harry nodded and got to work, his boots booming down the corridors, bulkheads following the Shadow Slipping Shadow Master. As he followed, he felt very much like a child again. He was in the presence of a PRIMARCH! Not his own, but still a Primarch is a Primarch. "Calgar and kiss my boots."

Corax turned "Calgar? Of whom do you speak? A name like that I hypothesize to be one of Robute's lineage."

"Aye, My Lord...He is the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines Lord Defender of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar and the Lord of Macragge...And completely insufferable."

Corax chuckled at that "Judge him harshly, fair, but do not hate him for his lineage. The children of Roboute, stout of heart and good cousins, true. It is their demeanour that turn most people against them. They are good men. Bit too rigid and honour Robute's Great Treatise of the Adeptus Astartes Chapter...I forget the name. I believe it was meant to be a Guideline, not a Gospel."

Harry could only nod. He fought by a few Ultramarines mainly Uriel Ventris. A good marine, kept his head, always by his side or few steps behind. He had a cockiness to him but it was well placed. Harry remembered being stuck on a hill, repairing his jammed bolter in his young and foolish times as a Neophyte of the Wolves when Ventris handed him his own and swiftly repaired jammer one. Then he braced himself and he began to in an old Macragge Term 'Akimbo' and 'Potshot' orks in the head, he had even cleared a path for Harry to rush the Mega Armoured Nob Squad of the Warboss. Then they had been joined by a Blood Angel named Rafen. Rafen...was an interesting one.

They locked their eyes, when the Blood Angel pulled his Terminator clad frame from underneath the Warboss. Harry had seen Rafen clad in gold, a wrist mounted pistol of some sort, an Axe Mortalis, the Badge of Office of Chapter Master of the Blood Angels and a spear with a teardrop blade and he was standing over another Golden Figure, in front of a Golden Door with yet another figure clad in Gold who seemed to be floating off the floor.

Harry snapped himself back to the present and looked at Corax. "Some are less inclined to follow the teachings of the Codex Astartes."

"There's at least some hope for them," Corax muttered and Harry chuckled. "Anyways, the pods containing your brethren should be up ahead, don't touch the biggest pod, as much as I want to meet my dear brother, he won't help us."

Harry nodded and walked into a massive chamber filled to the brim with stasis pods, pods containing the Space Wolves, one of the most restless Legions and Chapters of Space Marines. Harry approached the console placed at the beginning of the chamber and then looked at the displayed data. The data displayed was in a way familiar and he didn't have too many issues with understanding what it showed. There were some five hundred pods in the chamber and Harry's eyes widened a bit as he recognized some as the greatest heroes of the Legion from the times of the Heresy.

He deactivated the stasis systems and watched as the pods slowly opened and revealed waking up and very, very angry looking Space Wolves. He contemplated for a moment if he should get himself out of the chamber, but ignored this instinct and braced himself for whatever was to come. The only miracle in the moment was that there were no real weapons in the chamber and he had his trusty axe, a thing that gave him some kind of safety.

"Who are you, Wolf Guard?" one of the Wolves asked, its mane almost snow white and his fangs looking like a pair of daggers. However it was not what made Harry's hearts pause, this title fell to the massive pelt of the wolf covering the back of the Marine and the markings of a Wolf Lord.

"Harald of the House of Belisarius," Harry said proudly as he met the challenging gaze of the weathered veteran. "Wolf Guard to the Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane."

"You seem awfully young for being a Wolf Guard," the veteran Wolf said as he slowly approached Harry and looked him over. "What year it is and where are we?"

Harry hurriedly explained and saw the Wolf Lord growl and show his fangs in obvious anger before quickly calming and then accepting Harry's explanation before helping in waking up others and directing those that woke up to arm and start to scour the ship for any threats.

o-0-o

Torin smiled as he heard the roar of assault cannons, shredding sound of lightning claws and the impossible to miss heavy step of Terminator clad warriors that stomped down one of the streets, suppressing the zealots and letting Skitarii that accompanied them to pick them one by one. He raised his own hand into the air and then brought sharply down before leaping onto one of the Sororitas directly below him.

A power sword Torin held came alive as he pressed the rune built into the hilt and the blade covered in a sheet of invisible energy pierced the power armor and the flesh below it. He roughly pulled the blade out, even before she was dead and slammed it into the head of another, splitting the helmet and head protected by it.

"Meet with the Terminators," he barked into the vox and then fired his bolter at the point blank range at one of the Sororitas that tried to attack him and then beheaded a Stormtrooper. "Terminators, cover us and once we meet up, slowly retreat out of the the underhive."

He heard the acknowledgment of his orders and then charged down the street and for the allied positions, disciplined fire of Skitarii and the crude brutality of the Terminators making not many zealots willing to come closer and risk getting killed.

o-0-o

Next six weeks passed quickly as they checked the systems of the ship and then once the Mechanicus arrived with their ships they started to dig it out, a process that was greatly accelerated by the usage of melta and volkite weapons to shatter the hulk into smaller, easier to manipulate and move away from the hull of Hrafnkel. The time was also used by the Wolves and a surprisingly large number of Ravens that was on board to familiarize themselves with the current events of the universe and the situation in which the universe was. Harry did many weird things when he was a Wolfblade or even when at the Fang, but telling the Primarch what had changed since the times he was last in the Imperium was the strangest thing.

Six weeks passed and in his power armor now finally painted in the proper Space Wolves gray and light blue and with a massive pelt of a wolf draped across his back and over his shoulder Harry walked into one of the chambers where the stasis pods were and looked at the sole one that remained closed. It was a far bigger one than those around it and could only contain a Primarch, he could see that everybody in the room was tensed and waiting for the moment when their lord would wake up and join them.

"Wake him up," Corax said, his voice silky and smooth, putting most of them at ease.

"You should do it," the Wolf Lord said, his name Berek Daemonbane, and Harry sent a look at him. _"You claim to be a Wolf Guard, let's haze you and see how good of one you. He shouldn't kill you and it is as good of a test as any."_

Harry smiled ferally and glanced at the Wolf Lord. _"Of course, My Lord, I shall see it done."_ He then approached the pod and the console to the side of it, looking at the readings he slowly inputted the commands and watched the pod hiss and open.

The time dragged for him as he watched the metal door of the pod move aside and reveal the giant of a man that was inside, a man that was easily towering even over the biggest Astartes and made Harry have a reaction of dropping to his knees in respect and awe. Even if he was clad in an armor that looked like a crude and primitive one, Harry knew well enough that it was a person not to be underestimated and he slowly moved away at the same time preparing for the very angry wolf attacking him.

"Where am I?!" Russ roared and Harry tried to make himself as small as possible, facing a furious Primarch was not a thing he wanted to do. "Answer me!" Russ roared, his gaze slipping over the silent ranks of Astartes. Then the Wolf King sniffed the air and Harry knew that he was screwed when the nostrils of the Primarch flared and he turned to look at him. "You!" Russ roared and leaped at Harry.

Harry knew a Primarch was fast, he had seen Corax move, but Russ made Corax seem slow. Harry was taken off guard and hardly expected such a strong, precise and lethal jab. The was almost instantaneous, there was the unmistakable sound of flesh and bone, connecting with the adamantine plasteel plating encased in ceramite. It sound like a butcher carving meat on a granite surface. However, a crunching sound was heard as Harry dared to look down, his power armour had been ruptured! By a punch!

A second blow was coming, this time a massive kick. This one on a direct collision course with his unprotected head. Harry saw it coming so he rolled underneath the kick, came to his feet, spun out of the grabbing, clutching hands of his Primarch, barely avoiding his grasp. Harry, knew he had one shot, grabbed Russ's arm and with two hands on the arm, augments in his armour straining, he yanked the arm around. Russ came off balance and Harry brought his head downwards with savage headbut and shoved. Russ grunted as his teeth crunched, jaw cracked and his nose shattered as the insolent but effective fighter sent him to the floor. Russ smirked and scrambled to his feet "Going to need to do more than that pup." He growled, eyes glinting with amusement.

Harry backed away, his eyes searching for the Custodians or Corax to save his hide and let him escape the wrath of his own Primarch. Russ growled as he got up from the deck and then turned around to face Harry. "Don't run away like a scared pup, face me," he snarled.

Harry rolled his lips back revealing his own fangs. He had seen Corax had vanished. Harry knew he had to do something drastic. Russ howled and charged forwards, Harry waited, crouched and with a snarl of defiance of his own launched himself into a savage elbow drive. Harry wasn't a massively built Astartes, maybe just a few inches over the average height, he was however pretty bulky...these facts didn't matter. Primarch or Astartes, enough weight, mass and momentum into a concentrated spot, everything can go down. That is exactly what happened, Harry slammed his shoulder into Russ, the Wolf King jack-knifed and hit the ground with a colossal thud, Harry went to capitalise only to find himself being casually manhandled and sliding across the room, stopping at the feet of a Custodes.

"Maybe you should fight with someone else," a silky, smooth voice spoke and Russ paused. "Someone who actually has a chance of beating some reason into your thick head."

Russ growled and his attention was focused on the voice, his eyes sweeping the room and Harry smiled when he saw beacon of Corax's armor come alive just in front of Russ. "I know you!" Russ growled. "Show yourself!"

Corax emerged from the shadows and Harry smiled when he smelled the shock and surprise of Russ, both of those feelings growing when he noticed the four Custodians flanking the Primarch of the Raven Guard. For a moment there was complete silence as Russ looked at his brother, too shocked to do much.

"Now, brother, since you have gotten over the shock," Corax said and Russ looked at him. "Can we talk like civilized people? There is a campaign to plan and your sons need help in a war of their, also the Imperium needs some housekeeping."

Russ grumbled, but nodded and Harry breathed out in relief as he got back to his feet and looked at the shattered, cracked and quite frankly ruined breastplate of his armor, a thing that would need a lot of attention from a Techmarine or two. He watched his own Primarch and Corax talk quietly before slipping out of the room and wandering Emperor knew only where.

o-0-o

Corax led Russ to one of the numerous rooms that could be found inside of Hrafnkel and locked the door before turning and looking at his brother. "You know that you almost killed the one that made it possible for you to be found and rescued?" Corax asked and Russ frowned. "The same one you called pup, a Wolf Guard of one of your Wolf Lords, and one that can actually think and use the thing called brain."

"I've been asleep for how long?" Russ frowned.

"Almost eleven thousand years," Corax said and scoffed. "I know that you are restless and reckless, brother, but even you weren't as temperamental as Angron."

"He would have killed whoever disturbed him," Russ said, his voice dangerous and threatening. "I only wanted to test him...I guess I went a little overboard. By our Father, he hit me harder than I thought, he would."

Corax didn't say anything for a long moment and simply looked at Russ before reaching out and hugging him. "Good," Corax said and patted Russ on the back. "It is good to have you back as the Imperium at large needs a lot of housekeeping."

"How bad it is?"

"Bad," Corax said and shook his head. "I feel like they forgot all the things we fought for and will need to be reminded about our existence."

Russ growled and clenched his fists, metal of his gauntlets cracking and groaning under the strain. "They will pay for it in blood," he slowly said shook his head. "But that needs to wait for a moment."

"Aye, there are more important matters we need to deal with, now."

o-0-o

Harry looked at his repaired and once again painted armor and nodded to himself before clasping his helmet to the belt and nodding to the pair of the Grey Hunters that stood by the doors of the throne room of Russ. They nodded and opened massive doors engraved with images of wolves and Fenrisian runes revealing the spacious room and the assembled Wolf Guard of Russ, senior officers of the Wolves present here, Custodians, Voldus from the Grey Knights and several senior members of the Raven Guard.

Harry slowly walked down a corridor that led towards the throne on which Russ sat with Corax at his side and he smiled as he felt the respect and some kind of hidden challenge sent his way. As if the Wolf Guard and Jarls wanted to see if he would buckle under the pressure or not. He schooled his features as he approached the throne and then kneeled right in front of his Primarch and then casted his gaze downward. "My Lord, you called me and here I am," Harry said, carefully pronouncing the words in perfect Fenrisian.

"Do you know why did I summon you here?" Russ asked and Harry could feel some curiosity bubble under the surface of the very formal atmosphere of the chamber.

"No, My Lord."

"To reward you for what you did for me and for my brother," Russ said and Harry looked up. "As you know I have my own Wolf Guard, also called Einherjar and some spots need filling. And you are one of the most capable warriors that I saw with my eyes and thus I think you deserve that post."

"My Lord?" Harry asked, a bit confused.

Russ laughed and rolled his eyes. "Simply, I'm making you one of my Wolf Guard."

"I understand, My Lord," Harry said and then he fell forward, his body going limp as his consciousness was drawn somewhere else.

 _Harry saw himself land in the same icy landscape that was so common to his dreams and he was there with the same stranger he saw there since his first vision and he noticed the stranger smile. "Well, you did your task," the stranger said and pulled the hood off his head, revealing long black hair and an almost ethereal, golden glow. "You freed two of my sons and did it without too many questions and too much knowledge on your part."_

 _Harry blinked and then looked at the stranger. "Your sons?"_

 _The stranger smirked and snapped his fingers, where once stood the small stranger now was an over three meters tall giant clad in a golden armor, his whole form shining from power and majesty. There was so much power and majesty in him that Harry instinctively dropped to his knees._

" _My Lord," he whispered in awe._

" _Don't kneel in front of me," the Emperor said and then looked at Harry. "You are one of my warriors and one that freed my sons and there is no need for that groveling. Now go and let me use your body to speak with my sons."_

 _Harry nodded and when his consciousness returned to his body, he felt something else join it._

Corax and Russ caught the young Wolf Guard and the pair of them exchanged a shocked look as they felt their worlds dissolve.

 _When they came too they saw saw Harry kneeling to someone "Don't kneel in front of me. You are one of my warriors and one that freed my sons and there is no need for that groveling…" They didn't hear what happened next but soon enough the Stranger turned to them._

" _Corvus, Leman...My sons...Oh my wonderful sons. It warms my heart to see you both." The Primarchs could only stare as they recognised the figure._

" _Father! You...We...The...last time we saw you, you were being interred into that hellish seat!" Growled Leman, as he remembered the hellish fighting of the dying days of the Heresy. Corax shed silent tears._

" _I...am...so sorry. I had no idea...I had no idea...There is much to say but most of it I know not how. But rest assured my Wild Wolf and Silent Raven, I am proud of you. Proud of everything, even that quest into the realm of the Great Foe to restore me. My sons, rest assured those who no longer inhabit your realm are at peace with me...You have much work to do. You must restore Roboute, wake Lion, rescue Rogal and Jaghatai...Leman, Jaghatai and you, I swear are the most troublesome of all you. Worry not for your Firebreathing brother, Walker He'Stan has that in hand. I care and love you all, even those numbskulls who lost their way. I must go, my strength wanes. Leman, Corax, Harald is key...Hearken to him if he requests it...He...is...my...voice...I...for...give...you...for...everything."_

Harry groaned as he came back to his senses and his consciousness returned to his body. He looked at the Primarchs and saw them shocked and shaken by what had happened.

"Did we just?" Russ asked, his voice growly and shaken at the same time.

"Aye, we did," Corax said as he straightened and looked around the room. "Everything that happened here, stays here and we will decide when something needs to be revealed.

o-0-o

Several days later Corax sat in a room he requisitioned for himself and looked at a Magos of Adeptus Mechanicus that was one of the most troublesome of all of them. Cawl was a massive construct of metal and barely any organic tissue, all wrapped in rust red robes and Corax wondered for a second how this being survived for so long.

"Belisarius Cawl," he said, his voice soft and silken, making the Magos focus its mechanical eyes on him. "I know of the plans of my brother, Roboute, and know that he gave you a task."

"Lord Guilliman indeed gave me orders and I carried them out to the letter," Cawl said formally and Corax narrowed his eyes.

"What were they? I can tell a lie from truth and for the first one I will punish you."

"He saw the events when he would get injured and asked me to develop a suit of armor to sustain his life and prevent his death in case of such an event," Cawl said, his voice mechanic and not revealing any emotions. "He also gave me samples of genetic material of you and your brothers and tasked me with creation of new breed of Marines."

"What do you mean?" Corax asked, his eyes narrowed. Russ's eyes narrowed, his dark brown almost black eyes flickered momentarily yellow at the thought of his genetic material being manipulated by anyone.

"Lord Guilliman told me, he saw Dark Days ahead of the Imperium, the Eye of Terror would expand cleaving the Imperium in twain. He saw that the Adeptus Astartes, noble and valiant warriors of the Imperium being beaten, battered, reduced in numbers and in some cases driven to extinction. So he gave me your genetic material and that of his other loyal brothers and told me 'Breed me a force warriors that are above and beyond an Astartes' and that is what I have done." Cawl stated.

The two Primarchs looked at one another and they both nodded "What else have you done?"

If Cawl possessed more organic matter, he probably would have shit himself "I have managed to create a variant strand of the material, akin to the Augmentation Process some of your erstwhile brethren used to bring their father figures into the Astartes ranks. I, however have perfected to augment a normal Astartes into something more. Something superior an Adeptus Astartes Dominus if you wish."

Russ's eyes narrowed "What's the difference? Between these Superior Marines and this Adeptus Astartes Dominus?" He growled his fangs becoming more pronounced.

"They are one and the same. The Adeptus Astartes Primaris is the Aspirant to Marine path. Adeptus Astartes Dominus is the amplifying and augmenting an already functioning marine…The process as a more organic subordinate of mine said 'This will hurt like a motherfucker...no matter what.'"

"So it is very similar in a way to my original Raptors," Corax said. "An improvement of the design of father and an answer to the problem of facing Chaos Space Marines."

"Indeed, My Lord," Cawl said and then added. "I also designed or improved upon existing weapons and armor to provide them with a new panoply of war."

"I don't like the idea of using my own genetic material without my permission," Corax said quietly and Cawl looked at him. "But a new gear is a thing I will gladly take as from what I heard the Imperium became stagnant."

"Indeed, it became, most of the new generations of Tech-Priests is focused on preserving the knowledge instead of innovating and those that try to get hunted down for being hereteks."

"Seems like Mars might need a bit of change in power," Corax muttered, making a note to himself to get some ears and eyes in proper places. "Anyways, what did you create?"

"I think it would be better if it was shown, speech is a very imperfect tool and none of you can use binaric," Cawl said and then added. "Also if you have any Astartes in mind that should pass further augmentations, I can task my Tech-Priests with carrying them out while I show the new gear."

"If it is a trap, your head will end on a spike," Leman growled and Corax sent a calming look at his brother. "I don't trust you very much and you smell to me of plots and treason."

Cawl seemed not affected by the outburst and only inclined his head, as if he was looking at a very interesting being he needed to examine. "I assure you, My Lord, that I am not a traitor and I assure you that my ship is perfectly safe and no harm will happen to you."

Corax nodded and silenced Russ before the Wolf King could say anything. "It will be acceptable," Corax said and then smiled. "However, I will take some safety measures." He then looked at one of the corners of the room and smiled. "Nykona, step out of the shadows and show yourself."

A Raven Guard Marine stepped out of the shadows, his pitch black armor not sending a single reflection and even the red lenses of his helmet dulled as not to reveal his position. In his hands was a sniper rifle and to his legs were strapped two power swords. "My Lord," Nykona Sharrowkyn said and then looked at Cawl. "Should I kill him?"

"No," Corax said and focused his gaze on Cawl. "You know his fame? The only Space Marine that managed to put a bullet between the eyes of a Primarch."

"I have heard of him," Cawl said.

"Good, I don't have much trust for you and even less for your Primaris idea," Corax said and then indicated Sharrowkyn. "He, is my safety measure. You step out of line and a bullet will land between your eyes. So even if we have some prospective candidates to receive those augments, he will be there for the whole time, his gun aimed at your head and ready to fire when needed."

"Of course, My Lord."

Corax nodded and then looked at Cawl. "Let's see what new you created."

o-0-o

Harry followed a pair of lesser Tech-Priests as they guided him through the corridors of the Arc Mechanicus belonging to Cawl. He glanced at their backs and then at the walls of the corridor before finally stopping on a pair of Skitarii that stood on guard, flanking massive door emblazoned with the cog of Mechanicus. The door opened, groaning loudly and Harry felt am irritating smell of antiseptics slam into his nostrils.

"Leave your armor, here," one of the Priests said as a pair of servitors approached him, their lifeless gaze focused on his armor.

Harry gave them a look, but then nodded and locks keeping plates of his armor together clicked and were released. Then the Tech-Priests approached him and carefully, with some reverence for the tech removed his armor, leaving him only in a black body suits that revealed dozens of interfaces of the Black Carapace, bundles of nerves that connected to his armor and made it feel to him like second skin.

"Come with us," one of the Priests said and Harry nodded, feeling a bit weird without his familiar plate and protection provided by it.

Harry nodded and followed the Priest into something that could be only a medical chamber with several more Tech-Priests and Servitors waiting for him, as well as Cawl himself. The last thing unsettling Harry deeply as he looked at the ancient Tech-Priest he felt as if he looked at a terrible fusion of flesh and metal.

"Lay down on the table and don't move," Cawl said as he circled a heavy, adamantium table reinforced to withstand the fury and anger of whatever was chained down to it.

Harry nodded and laid down on the table, the moment he did it he felt heavy restrains be placed on his limbs and over his chest. More or less making him motionless and unable to escape whatever would be done to him. The next hours were for Harry a blurry moment as he felt his body ripped open and new, additional organs were added to the already numerous additional organs a Space Marine possessed and it brought the total number to twenty-two.

As Harry got off the table and got over the pain he narrowed his eyes and looked at Cawl with some anger and grim determination. "Better be it worth it or your body might not be enough to shield your brain from the fury of a Space Marine," he growled out, his muscles flexing as he tried to get used to what was done. "I know that the body you have is armored and a shell to hide your brain." Cawl at this moved away and Harry smiled. "So I am pretty sure enough of bullets will do the trick and kill you."

"I can assure you that they will be worth," Cawl quickly said, his mechanical voice showing some hints of emotions. "Now however there is new gear for you to see and train with."

Harry nodded and followed Cawl down a short corridor into a small armory with several suits of armor waiting ready and a large stash of various types of weapons and ammunition for them. On their way into the chamber they were joined by Corax and Russ who were mostly content with standing out of the way of the Magos. Looking at them he frowned and then sent a look at the ancient Tech-Priest. "None of them looks like something I saw in the past."

"That's because these...are the future," Cawl said and Harry arched an eyebrow. "They are redesigned, perfected and improved compared to what you used and most of Marines uses."

Harry nodded and approached one of the armor stands before letting his fingers slip over the ceramite and plasteel of the armor. "I like it," he said as he took the helmet off the stand and then took a closer look at it. "It looks familiar, yet not quite, I know that I saw it in the armories of the chapter, but cannot recognize."

"You most likely saw Mark IV Maximus," Cawl said and Harry nodded. "The most perfect and most advanced pattern of the power armor ever deployed, later patterns were designed to be fielded in great numbers at the expense of quality, until the one you see. Mark X Tacticus." There was a brief silence and then Cawl once again spoke. "It can be customized to fit what you desire and now the lesser adepts of mine will arm you."

Harry nodded and watched several Tech-Priests walk towards him and then help him put on the new armor, an armor that felt different than the one he used to wear and then he turned to look at Cawl. Wanting to learn more about the gear he would use.

Cawl gestured with a cluster of his many cybernetics and two Tech-Priests with a larger than normal entourage stomped in. What caught Harry's attention was the fact that the Priests were armed with plasma guns and there were twenty servitors armed with heavy bolters, plasma cannons and missile launchers.

Cawl smiled, well as much as 99% robotic humanoid could. With that 1% still being his brain, or more properly, parts of his brain. "Why, you wouldn't think I'd allow the newest fighter of the God...Emperor...The Emperor to go with inadequate weapons," he corrected himself, he should have remembered not to refer to the Emperor as a 'God' especially in front of a Marine or even a Primarch. Primarchs had killed Remembrancers for that transgression and even less.

"He is no "God", we will admit he has 'Godlike Abilities', but he has no wish to be one. Tread carefully Cawl," Russ growled.

Cawl nodded "Understood, my Lords. Now...let's start with these…" With that his tendrils reached in and brought two power fists with underslung weapons, reminding them of the Power Gauntlets of Roboute Guilliman and Harry of Marneus's Gauntlets of Ultramar, yet they didn't realize they were thinking of the same thing. "Bolterstorm and Flamestorm Gauntlets...Don't be mistaken, the bolterstorm gauntlets make for excellent suppressive fire against mass bodies of troops and light vehicles with the powerfists able to punch through all but the hardest and robust of armours. The flamestorm, well I managed to achieve the temperature and searing effect of the Inferno Cannon and managed to condense it into a portable man sized form...Equip it with this." This appeared to be some sort of launcher weapon "This is a Fragstorm Grenade Launcher and it goes onto this suit known as the 'Aggressor' built for city fighting and taking care of hordes."

Cawl moved on before revealing three almost identically looking bolters "A Primaris Adeptus Astartes or Adeptus Astartes Dominus main staple. The Mark II Cawl Bolt Rifle, Auto Bolt Rifle and Stalker Bolt Rifle...Much like the standard bolter of your smaller cousins, the Bolt Rifle and its variants are simple, precise and devastating pieces of gear, best designed for what Lord Guilliman calls the Intercessor Tactical Squad. They shoot further than the standard Bolter, have bit more stopping power and a much higher chance of ricocheting and causing further damage. Stalker is longer range and slightly quieter and the Auto is a modernized version of the storm bolter."

The next thing that appeared were two pistols, one of them was a plasma pistol, however Russ was much more curious about the second. "Behold the Assault Bolter and Exterminator. The Assault Bolter, your Heavy Bolter now in a compact pistol size and yes Lord Russ and Lord Corax they do come Primarch sized. The Exterminator is in essence the new Plasma Pistol for Assault Marines and Sergeants. It no longer overheats unless you want it."

"Finally as the Terrans of old would say 'The Piece de Resistance.' These are the Plasma Incinerator heavy and assault. All of the advantages of the Plasma weaponry but none of the weaknesses. Oh and for you young Harry, an arm mounted Assault Plasma Incinerator, for when you truly wish to shoot and fight with your new axe."

Harry grinned as he looked at the last weapon and quickly grabbed it and almost immediately replaced the basic plate of armor with the new one. He looked at it and then smiled when systems of his armor detected the new weapon and information about it appeared in the back of his mind.

"There is a firing range overseen by one of lesser Magos Dominus down the corridor where you can test your new gear," Cawl said and Harry nodded before walking away, looking at his new gear and armor as his body healed from the damage suffered by it.

o-0-o

After over two more weeks of preparations and manning the massive flagship of the Wolves, a task that devoured thousands of the most skilled servants of the Machine God, its systems ancient and advanced and requiring the best possible staff to properly use and maintain them. However once the time passed the Warp drives of the ships were charged and the fleet set the course for Baal, the desire to reunite with the rest of the pack was strong in the Wolves aboard the ships and was shared by Leman Russ so any other choices were discarded.

Harry smirked as he towered over the other Wolf Guard around as he entered the war room of the _Hrafnkel_ and nodded to Jarls, Pack Leaders and senior warriors that were there, then he bowed to his liege and gene-father and looked at the projection of Baal. "The last reports we received told of a siege, massive Hive Fleet of Tyranids attacking the fortress of the Blood Angels," he said and then added. "The fortress is defended by thirteen chapters of Blood Angels descent, our brothers and Ultramarines were reported leading an armada to try to break the siege."

"An impressive amount of forces… just to kill some bugs," Russ said and Harry barely controlled himself from laughing, loudly.

"Bugs that can carve Terminator plate as if it was wet paper, My Lord," Harry said and then Russ looked more seriously at him. "They're driven by the collective Hive mind and don't know fear and other emotions, fighting them more often than not ends in a war of attrition and killing them faster than they can grow new warriors."

"This Hive mind," Corax said and Harry looked at him. "It is a single being?"

"No, My Lord," Harry said and then added. "The tactic you think about, kill the mind and see them kill themselves is a thing that was tried and failed. The most common tactic is to develop a toxin and inject it into their main ships and see it destroy them. However here we cannot afford it as it means sacrificing the planet."

"So we need to defeat them in the good old way, with a bolter in one hand and a chainsword in the other," Russ said, laughing loudly as other members of the council joined him.

o-0-o

Harry sat in one of the numerous drop pods and awaited the moment when it would be blasted away from the ship. Around him were eleven members of Einherjar, all of them warriors that saw the bloody days of the Heresy and the Great Crusade and had an uncountable amount of experience and knowledge about war.

Icons blinked at the edge of Harry's vision and then the pod was blasted away from the ship and towards the planet below it, they were supposed to land almost directly on top of the Ultramarines and Nova Marines that were defending a mountain ridge south of the fortress. Harry smirked under his helmet as he recalled the moment of arrival in system and the shock that was almost palpable in the messages coming from the ships already in system. However after a moment of explanations the shock turned to joy and hope.

"Twenty seconds to impact," Pack Leader called and Harry looked at the ancient Wolf Guard. "Prepare for landing."

Harry nodded and braced himself for landing, then the shock of it came and the next second the drop pod opened and he rolled out of it, already aiming his bolt rifle at the first Tyranid Warrior that showed in his sight. He pressed the trigger and seconds later the head of the beast turned to mist and ichor splattered all over the ground. Then Harry briefly looked up and he could see hundreds more of drop pods pass through the atmosphere on their way to their landing zones.

 _To be continued…_

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N - Primaris Marines and Cawl - I dislike them because in canon there is no good explanation and they just drop out of nowhere and no reasonable backstory is given. The general idea and gear, I adore and want more. Second issue is that old Marines cannot be upgraded to something between or just typical Primaris. Also en masse deployment of them, that won't happen, quite yet.**

 **Big E being so nice - he is shown to adapt his personality to his speaker and appearance. So here he played the safe and cautious and careful card as Wolves hate being ordered around and there was a decent chance Harry would kick and say no to whoever playing with his mind.**


	17. Chapter 17

Harry nodded and braced himself for landing, then the shock of it came and the next second the drop pod opened and he rolled out of it, already aiming his bolt rifle at the first Tyranid Warrior that showed in his sight. He pressed the trigger and seconds later the head of the beast turned to mist and ichor splattered all over the ground. Then Harry briefly looked up and he could see hundreds more of drop pods pass through the atmosphere on their way to their landing zones.

He noticed a small group of Gaunts charge at him and only smiled before pulling out a frag grenade and hurling it at them. The small device exploded in the midst of them, ripping some into small chunks and bits that were almost unrecognizable and those on the outside of the pack were less injured, but still almost dead and most died when bolts hit them.

"Landing zone... secure," Harry said as he cleaved a lictor that tried to jump onto him, only to meet the massive power axe. The corpse fell onto the ground in two pieces and Harry then turned to look at his Pack Leader. "Orders?"

"Join up with the Ultramarines," Leif Bloody Axe said as his famous twin power axes dripped with the blood of Tyranids unfortunate enough to meet him. "They should be somewhere here."

Harry nodded and looked around, his eyes scanning the landscape and looking for the blue and white of the Ultramarines, two colors that should easy to find on the bloody fields of Baal. In the distance were visible companies of the Blood Angels and their successors slowly pushing towards the ridge and then as Harry looked the other way he noticed flashes of blue and white and gold in the literal sea of chitin.

"Seems like they have their hands full," one of the Einherjar said and Harry sent a questionable look his way. "Almost buried in the sea of chitin and unable to push back."

"They called for support," Bloody Axe said and Harry bit down on response to the comment as he didn't want to get leader mad at him. "So we will help them. Sven, when our Hellblasters will land?"

"Should about now," Sven said, he was a bulky Marine with a massive thunder hammer.

The second he said those words several drop pods slammed into the ground and out of them emerged Hellblasters and Long Fangs with a variety of heavy weapons ready to bring destruction upon the enemies of Mankind.

"I want you to suppress the enemy and take out the biggest beasts," Leif said and the Long Fangs nodded. "The moment my pack charges, I want them under fire and unable to notice us."

"Of course, My Lord," one of the Hellblasters said, hauling his Plasma Incinerator and pointing in the direction of the enemy. "You will have it."

Leif ferally smiled and then indicated the crowd of beasts swarming below and roared. "For Russ and the Allfather!"

The moment he said those words the Wolf Guard broke into charge down the slope, ground shaking under them as they ran towards the horde of the Tyranids, over their heads soaring bolts of superheated plasma, streaks of bolter rounds and missiles. Wolf-like, feral howls were heard as with each second they were getting closer and closer to the enemy that didn't notice them coming.

Harry let out a roar, wind and roars of battle, screams of dying, roars of fighting, blades carving flesh and bolters barking, howling in his ears, smell of battle filling his nostrils and making him even more excited as the adrenaline coursed through his veins as he smelled blood being spilled, blades carving flesh and the ever familiar smell of oils and unguents used for conservation of weaponry. And then the moment of the crash came, the wave of the Wolf Guard crashed into the mass of the Tyranids, easily trampling dozens of smaller under their armored forms and scything dozens before they knew someone was upon them.

The blades flashed and quickly got covered in the foul ichor of the xenos before once again burying in the bodies of Tyranids and killing even more. Wolf Guard, especially Einherjar unleashed upon the enemy and let loose were a terrible sight to see, most of them veterans of hundreds of campaigns and warriors that served their lord for decades, if not centuries and were masters of almost every way of war. Their fury and rage tightly controlled and used against their enemies in a way that made their natural ferocity and brutal strength of Astartes even more fearsome. If the Tyranids were any other species they would have broken and be routed the very moment the charge carved a bloody path through their lines. However not feeling any emotions, not even panic saved them, at least for a moment, as instead of running away they turned around and started to try to fight back the wave of warriors coming for them.

Harry swang his axe and cut down several Gaunts before throwing his head back and laughing, this was what he needed after a period of complete inactivity. His wolf spirit was roaring and laughing in glee, its desire for violence and aggression wholly embraced and unleashed by Harry as he scythed down mindless drone after mindless drone. Each step bringing him closer and closer to the Ultramarines who seemed to be pushing back the tide of Tyranids.

o-0-o

A bright beam of light appeared in the middle of the biggest concentration of the Tyranids and the moment it was gone in its place stood several Shadow Wardens, armored in Tartaros Terminator armor and armed with a variety of weapons, five Custodians under command of Constantine Valdor and between them the Primarch of the Nineteenth Legion, Corvus Corax.

Their arrival caused confusion both in the ranks of the soldiers loyal to the Imperium and the Tyranid beasts, however the confusion changed to joy on the Imperial side when Corax and his group hurled themselves at the enemies. A Carnifex that found itself on the path of Corax didn't manage to land a single strike before the Raven Lord jumped into the air and severed the head of the beast from the rest of its body, his massive lightning claws crackling with energy as he soared through the air.

Harry shook his head, lowered his axe and stepped forwards. Gaunts of the bladed variety were splattered, splashed and smeared as Harry began to walk through the veritable sea of chitin, his axe carving wide arcs and not even stopping for a second. He was almost there, his Space Wolf armor so smeared in gore and ichor that if he were a normal Marine the Blood Angels most likely would claim him as theirs. Then the sea of chitin and Marines exploded as suddenly two monstrosities erupted from the ground.

Leif and the Heresy Era Wolves stopped in shock as they looked at whatever that was that crawled out of the soil of Baal. "By the Allfather! What is that?!"

Harry held out his hand and received a Plasma Incinerator "That Brother Leif is a Trygon...Allfather preserve us! They're the Twin Storms! Two Trygons that are far too valuable to this fleet...Long story these things build up bioelectricity and discharge it. They've got their names for the colours of the lightning...Torias Telion, you may have Old One Eye...But I, I have the Twin Storms."

"Torias Telion?" Asked Leif, as the pack formed up around the first Primaris of the Space Wolves.

"A Scout Master of the Ultramarines...A Master Sniper and brawler of whom I cannot think of a single brother in the current Space Wolves who can beat him in a fight. Old One Eye is a Carnifex, that thing that resembles a Land Raider. Telion alone supposedly killed it, but rumours of its demise are still in discussion."

Leif nodded "Brother, worry not if you kill these things. You have your own Saga already worth remembering. First Terran to be made a Space Wolf since the original intake of recruits, the First Space Wolf Primaris, the Restorer of Two Primarchs...We Space Wolves are proud. No one can take those triumphs from you...Let us kill these Storms, we cannot allow the line of Roboute to have all the good kills now, can we? FOR RUSS! FOR THE ALLFATHER!" Leif thundered as howls echoed in the wake of his warcry.

However, it was Harald's cry, booming over the vox and to the dazed and recovering marines "FOR THE WOLF TIME!" With that they charged, Harry pulled his bolt rifle and as they ran. The pack began to pepper the two Trygons with bolter and plasma shots. The plasma rounds sizzled and scorched, bolt rifle charges plinked, plonked and exploded. They were doing damage but it was superficial.

Then on one of the Trygons, spires one by one began to glow. Then on them appeared a bright, beautiful violet light as ozone began to sizzle and suddenly lavender electricity forked off the Trygon and it scythed across the ground. Jumping from Gaunt to Gaunt like snakes heading towards the oncoming Marines. Whether the lightning was too unfocused or bounced to many times, it merely staggered the charge of the Space Wolves.

Vox channels opened and frantic orders were shouted between the three chapters as they began to concentrate on the Trygon. "Blades! Blades! Blades!" Ordered Leif as he drew his twin axes. The Space Wolves pulled out power and chain axes from their magnetically held positions on their backs. Whereas the Primaris reached for knives that even a Marine would argue a sword. "BRING IT DOWN! BRING IT DOWN!"

The thirty marines charged it. Axes chopping, knives slashing and great scales were peeled away. Revealing the fleshy insides. Unfortunately, as fast as they chopped the armour regrew. Harry snarled, yanked his axe free, unclipped a Krak grenade and shoved it into a freshly made wound. The blast tore a great chunk of flesh out of the Trygon and it roared. Harry's helmet had been taken off at some point and shower of ichor and fleshy insides of the beast washed over his head."I've got this. Distract the other one." With that he ran, jumped and then managed to regain a foothold on the healing wounds.

Harry swore in Fenrisian as his hands, knees and feet got stuck in the rapidly regenerating chitin. There was a sucking, squelching sound which was drowned out by the screeching Trygon as he began to climb up the beast. Harry dragged himself up and then noticed the smallest spine begin to glow. He reached down and pulled out his Absolver Bolt Pistol. He was no marksman but his aim was true. The slight electrical field around the spire shattered, discharging the electricity off and across the body "The spines hold the electricity! SHOOT THE SPIRES! SHOOT THE SPIRES! DISRUPT THE SPIRES! DISRUPT THE DISCHARGE!"

On the ground Lukas Svenson, one of the Hellblasters nodded "Target the other Trygon. Hit the spires. Apparently the spires hold and conduct the charge, the actual body of the Trygon cannot hold the potency." Leif nodded and passed the order as he watched the young Wolf Guard climb.

"He is definitely a Wolf Guard. No one's that fucking insane. Telion whoever you are...You've got nothing on this."

Harry swore as he chucked a frag grenade. This one he had over cooked. He had disrupted the charge but not broken the spire enough. He swung himself up and grabbed one of the spires. He looked up, he was about eight spires from the top. By the Emperor this thing was massive, he really should have thought about this more before foolishly charging and then climbing.

He swung himself up, using two combat knives to do so. This time, he moved too slowly as a discharge erupted through three of the spires. The spires he happened to be the closest one. "That hurt!" He growled to himself as he slowly pulled his way to the top. He suddenly had to cling on as he felt the thing, turn. Harry tucked himself deep as the Trygon rolled across the ground, send a wave of electricity sparking across the floor trying to dislodge the pest on it.

The Trygon knew it was in trouble and was now launching wide area effects of lightning and electricity. Thankfully it hadn't killed any Marines yet. But several of them looked like they had seen better days. The synaptic control the Trygons had over the beings in front of them had faltered slightly and the creatures watched instead of fighting and were mercilessly cut down. Harry stabbed into the heavily muscled neck of the Trygon and swung himself around. He gulped as several spires appeared from the throat, his knife was stuck in one and all of them began to glow.

Harry grabbed the first grenade he could, it happened to be a Shock Grenade. One that was designed to stun enemies allowing Reivers to get close and do it relatively safely. Harry pulled it to his teeth, unpinned it and chucked it. The Trygon hissed at him and caught the grenade in its mouth. "Boom!" Harry growled, he was deafened by the shriek of agony, the quadrilateral mouth flaring open, the Trygon jerking around. Harry grabbed his Incinerator, brought it up, fumbled with a switch and held the charge button. The Incinerator began to glow from brightish blue to an incandescent white, then there was a shrieking and warning sound. Harry swore violently as the Incinerator began to heat up the ceramite of his armor. With one hand wrapped tight on the dagger, one hand on the incinerator, braced to his hip. Fingers blistering, Harry pointed the weapon into the mouth of the beast and roared. "Say Ahh!" And pulled the trigger.

Harry's eyes were temporarily blinded. But he certainly felt it, the dispersion of heat as a star-white blast of supercharged plasma roared straight through the mouth of the Trygon and into the head of the other. The Trygons capitualiated, writhing and shrieking or at least trying to. Harry was flung around like a doll, his finger holding down the fire button and the Incinerator bucking, burning and belching ever increasing in temperatures massive melta-bomb esque orbs of plasma all of which slammed through the heads, vaporising the brain of the Trygons before they collapsed.

Harry hit the ground, and then there was a deafening crunch as he felt something crack as he lay in the baking sun, trapped beneath a Trygon. Meanwhile the score of Genestealers and the uncountable amount of gaunt's dissolved onto one another in an orgy or carnage and cannibalism. "Brother Sven? Is it dead?" Leif asked. A singular shot of an incinerator followed by the emptying of six Absolver Pistols reached his ears.

"If it wasn't...It is now."

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar stood on top of a Land Raider and looked at the battlefield, the Legion of the Damned was gone weeks ago, but the blow struck by them was still visible and the Thirteenth Company remained behind. A thing that made him very happy as several hundred more blades was a thing he didn't mind.

"Wolf King is coming," Jarl Bulveye said, his snow white mane and beard covered in splotches of blood and now in more rusty than white color. "I can feel him close."

Logan struck down a Lictor that somehow slipped past all the fighters and tried its luck in killing the Great Wolf and then glanced at the sky where a flotilla of Stormbirds was visible accompanied by Thunderhawks and Fire Raptors that strafed the Tyranids and protected bigger crafts. "I can see him too," he said and then diverted his gaze to the battle. "Ragnar, launch the counter attack, now," he said into the vox and momentarily heard confirmation from one of the more bloodthirsty Wolf Lords.

A wave of Blood Claws and Wolf Guard supported by the Thunderwolf Cavalry, Vanguard Veterans of the Ultramarines and Sanguinary Guard of the Blood Angels flowed like a river from their hidden positions close to the fortress and slammed into the Tyranid lines. The initial shock of the charge was enough to gain several dozen square meters of ground and then the Whirlwinds, Long Fangs and Basilisks that arrived with the Ultramarines along with fortress guns roared and punched numerous holes in the formations. Scattering Carnifexes that were moving to stop the charge and disrupting the lines of Gaunts and Warriors.

"Great Wolf, can we attack?" Harald Deathwolf asked as he tightly held the reins of his Thunderwolf, around him even more riders of those fearsome beasts. "Ragnar will get all the glory of the day."

Logan only looked at the Wolf Lord who quickly diverted his gaze, like a scolded pup, and then the Great Wolf looked at the Lord Commander Dante. "Time for the next part of our plan, they're busy enough with Ragnar and his attack."

Dante only nodded and several of his own companies that were held in reserve moved forward, bulwark of Terminator clad Veterans at the front assisted by the Baal Predators and behind them dozens of squads of normal Marines with bolters and chain weapons. While the Wolves were like a violent tsunami wave that came and washed over everything on its path, Blood Angels were more methodical. Treads of their tanks and soles of their boots crunching the ground meter by meter as they walked forward, their bolsters firing in controlled bursts and tanks destroying any larger concentrations of Tyranids.

o-0-o

As the Blood Angels and there successor chapters rushed out of their hiding spots. Boots pounding as they rushed to support the new arrivals. Jumpacks burned and tire tracks spun as they rushed out of the fortress of the Blood Angels. However, in most families there is always one branch or one person that bucks the conventional trend. The ones who bucked the trend of the Blood Angels were the Sons of "Flesh Tearer" Amit, Captain of the 5th Company of the Blood Angels Legion and First Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers.

The moment Dante issued the orders to advance, Gabriel Seth, Guardian of Rage, Custodian of the Wrathful Heart of Sanguinius and current Master of the Flesh Tearers had his remaining three hundred battle brothers board the rhinos and the Gunships and ordered them into the fray. "We're the Blade of the Legion remember. Or do you cross the Lord Redeemer?" Seth snarled before parting from a few of his other Chapter Masters.

Over a closed Vox channel, unbeknownst Dante had it tapped Seth spoke to his surviving brethren "For the Emperor, For the Primarch! May our Death be our Salvation! Death, Duty, Honour!"

"Death to the enemy. Duty is to the Imperium. Honour Sanguinius! Honour Amit! For they are the best of us!" Seth smiled beneath his helmet, this...this would be the turning point. For the Flesh Tearers to be remembered as either butchers or errant sons doing the right thing, the noble thing.

"We have been dealt a shit hand Flesh Tearers, but this shit hand it is ours."

o-0-o

Stormbirds slowed down and their assault ramps slammed open letting out a wave of warriors in Terminator Armors, most of them carried a wide variety of close combat weapons, however there were two common traits most of them shared. An aura of experience and ferocity in combat, as well as massive pelts of wolves adorning their plates. They walked down onto the scorched soil of Baal and once seeing that there were no immediate dangers they fanned out, forming a loose circle and then Russ joined them. His massive form dwarfing even his chosen warriors in their Terminator armors.

"So this is the scorched hell of a planet that Sanguinius called home," Russ said, his gaze slipping over the scorched ground, burned out wrecks of vehicles, piles of corpses and a very hard to mistake for anything else a command post of the Space Wolves and Blood Angels. Even harder to mistake was the sudden burst of frantic activity when they noticed who walked out of the Stormbirds.

Russ waved at his bodyguards, made his way across the ground covered in ichor of xeno and hundreds of their corpses to the largest cluster of Space Wolves and Blood Angels. Most of whom started to kneel and bow in front of him the moment he approached their position. "Off your knees," he barked and the Marines looked between each other. "Better tell me who's in charge here, and fast."

"I am, my lord," a grey haired son of his in a Terminator plate and with a band of warriors close by. "I am Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar, my lord, and I was here in command."

"I have heard about you," Russ said and then indicated the holographic projection of the local area. "What's the status, Great Wolf?"

"We are pushing them and winning the ground," Grimnar said and then indicated a large ridge growing behind the fortress. "Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines took six companies of his and attacked there, he succeeded, but then was cut off."

"I know," Russ said. "They called for help and some of the warriors that came with me deployed there. As well as my shadow loving brother and golden warriors of father."

"Good," Grimnar said and then sent a look at the golden warrior to his side. "Opinions, Lord Commander?"

"We can capitalize on it," the Lord Commander said and then quickly added with a look sent at Russ. "I'm Lord Commander Dante of the Blood Angels, if we send a fast attack force we can link up to them and establish a connection."

"Do it," Russ growled and then indicated two large prongs separating from the main bulk of loyal forces on the map. "And those are?"

"Counter attacks," Grimnar said. "One led by Ragnar Blackmane, second by Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers."

"They will be cut off, call Hrafnkel and tell them to drop Raven Guard on the intersection of their path," Russ ordered and then looked around. "And find someone to launch third attack, directly between the two."

"I can do it, my lord," a ferally looking Space Wolf mounting a massive wolf said. "I'm a Wolf Lord, Harald Deathwolf and my company is ready."

"Do it," Russ said and then his gaze focused on Grimnar as Deathwolf rode away. "Send in your great company and command, I want someone able to control their temper."

"Of course, my lord," Grimnar said and reached for his axe.

"No, wait, I need your knowledge," Russ said and glanced at his bodyguards. "Death Howl, take half of the Einherjar and keep an eye on Deathwolf and add your firepower."

Varangyr nodded and walked away like a giant phalanx of black giants walking to war, which was true, yet filled nearby Marines and Guardsmen with hope as they knew their chances of survival increased, a lot. Then Russ wholly focused on the battle and started to bark out a stream of orders for various groups of troops that were scattered over thousands of square kilometers. While he wasn't a genius of strategy like his brother, Roboute Guilliman he was still a demigod and possessed vast amounts of knowledge, intelligence and experience. All of which he now applied to winning the battle and turning the tide in their favor.

o-0-o

Harry felt something try to cut through the carcass that was laying on top of him and groaning he slowly tried to push it up and off himself. A thing that would have been a futile one, if not for the rather substantial amounts of psychic powers awaiting his command. He called as much of it as he could muster and slowly moved the carcass off his body and used this moment to pull himself somewhat free. He let out a labored breath as he freed his head from below the beast and was able to freely breath and get some fresh air. It seemed that the carcass moving and something trying to make its way from below it and several Marines in the colors of Ultramarines approached him, their weapons pointed at the corpses and him.

"Get me out from below that thing," Harry spat angrily. "I can only do so much on my own and you better help me."

The Marines looked between each other and after a harsh order from one of the Sergeants, a red helmet on his head, they started to cut through the carcass with chainswords and power swords a long and unpleasant task, but by the end of it Harry simply lifted the last chunk of the flesh off himself and stood up. Streams of gore and blood dripping down his armor and making it look like if he was a Blood Angel, only the feral expression on his face and a wild mane of hair suggest something else.

"Where are the Space Wolves?" he growled, reaching for his axe and activating the power field to clean it off the worst gore. "Speak, now."

"Who are you to order us around?" a Sergeant asked and Harry bared his fangs in anger.

"Sergeant Learchus, control your tongue," someone said and the voice sounded familiar in Harry's ears, yet he couldn't instantly assign it to a person. "And tell the Wolf Guard where are his brothers."

Harry chuckled when he saw the Sergeant pale when his captain brought him down and then reminded him of the pecking order. "Of course," Learchus said and then indicated a nearby ridge. "They went in that direction."

Harry nodded in thanks and broke into a run, his boots trampling the remains of Tyranids that covered the ground and then he reached the top of the ridge before looking down its slope and easily noticing his pack fending off scores of Gaunts and Warriors. Letting out a furious howl he charged down and crashed into the front ranks of the Warriors and almost carelessly sliced off a talon of a Warrior that tried to stab the Pack Leader. Then with the next strike he drove the axe into the chest of the same xeno and brought it down.

"Good that you finally joined us," Leif said. "We couldn't have waited for you any longer and someone needed to take care of those Gaunts."

"And the Wolves cannot miss a chance to blood their blades and need to fight at every opportunity," Harry said with a grin as he fired his pistol at a Gaunt that was too close for him to comfortably stop it with an axe.

"Aye," Leif grinned as his twin axes carved in half a particularly brutish and large Warrior that seemed to also possess some kind of synapse control over lesser beasts. The moment the synapse died, lesser creatures around it started a frenzied orgy of self-destruction, killing themselves faster than the Space Wolves could hope to.

o-0-o

Corax sliced off the arms of a Warrior that leaped at him and then kicked back the bleeding body before jumping into the air, his jetpack coming alive as he flew towards the command post of the Ultramarines. He landed on top of a Carnifex trying to reach it and drove his claws deep into the body of the beast, flesh, chitin and blood sizzling as they came in contact with the electricity covering the deadly weapons. He let the beast charge right to the command post and then he jumped off it and with a single swing of his hand separated the head from the rest of the body.

The moment he landed on the ground he let out a sigh of annoyance at the sight of the Marines kneeling in front of him. "Get back to fighting," he softly said and then moved past them and towards the chapter master of the Ultramarines. "Where do you need help?"

"Eastern flank, my lord," Calgar said and Corax nodded in understanding before sending a quick look to the east where some truly monstrous creatures were slowly pushing back the Ultramarines. "We cannot stop those Titans and there is probably a Hive Tyrant leading them all."

"Hive Tyrant is one of those synapse things?" Corax asked, remembering all of the data he read about the Tyranids.

"Aye, usually is accompanied by Hive Guard and we cannot really combat them."

Corax nodded and then with the roar of the engines disappeared into the air, flying towards his new destination and easily noticing the problem, right before a part of it was simply vaporized by a plasma blast. He sent a look in the direction from where it came and noticed a Reaver Titan flanked by a pair of Warlords leave their transports and blast away enemy troops. "Finally they deployed those Titans," Corax said and then added quietly. "In the times of the Crusade they would have landed with the first wave."

o-0-o

As the night came most of the fighting died down and all that was to be done was to hunt down the few remaining Tyranids on the ground and ensure none managed to survive. To this task were deployed scores of patrols on bikes, jetbikes that were pulled out of the armories of the _Hrafnkel_ , Land Speeders, Ironstriders and Dunecrawlers supported by several Thunderhawks full of Vanguard and Sternguard Veterans, as well as some Wolf Guard ready to leap into the fray.

At the same time all of the leaders of the forces on the planet, as well as their most trusted advisors and retinues gathered in the Great Hall of the Fortress of Baal to discuss the future and in many cases greet the two returned Primarchs.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N - Some questions answered, some people start to plot and some events are put in motion. When the next chapter will come? I cannot tell as I work on a certain project of mine that is taking a lot of my attention and if it is done it will be kinda large and very interesting story.**

 **o-0-o**

Harry tucked the helmet under his arm and looked at its battered surface, most of the paint blasted away and leaving the helmet with various patches of the steel gray color of the ceramite and some barely visible colors of the chapter. Even the lenses were duller and instead of the usual bright red were almost pinkish in color. He shook his head and made a note to ask local Techmarines or his own Iron Priests to paint it in the proper color, the only good thing was that it survived and he could still use it if there was any desperate need for it.

He then looked at his axe and wrapped his fingers around the familiar handle that was designed specifically for him and slung it across his back before looking at a Scout of the Blood Angels that stood in the doorway of the room. "Yes?"

"My lord, Lord Commander Dante has called a meeting and your presence is requested by Lord Russ," the Scout said and Harry smiled when he smelled some uncertainty coming from the youngster. Wolf Guard was similar in respect and prestige to the First Company and usually those were the most experienced warriors of the chapter and the most influential and were known for having their quirks and schemes.

"Of course, lead the way," Harry said as he reached for his rifle, checked it and attached to a maglock on his back before following the Scout for the meeting.

The meeting took place in the great hall of the fortress, a massive vaulted chamber with dozens of banners hanging from the walls, tall, majestic columns supporting the ceiling, beautiful stained glass windows and floor covered in a mosaic showing great victories from the past of the chapter and their Primarch, Sanguinius.

Even if it was in the very middle of the fortress and protected by thick walls the scars of battle were visible even here, some windows were sporting holes of various sizes, some parts of the ceiling were missing and there were dozens of smaller holes from bolter fire. However even with the damage it looked truly majestic and filled with all of the leaders of the various formations present on the planet it was even barely noticeable.

Alongside the longer walls stood various Sergeants and veterans of various chapters, their armors in most cases still covered in battle damages and adorned with plentiful decorations for long service to the Imperium. It was also the place where most of the commanders of the Imperial Guard stood, still wearing their combat clothes and carapace armors with helmets hanging from their belts. As Harry looked at them he could tell that they were the good kind of commanders, probably Cadians or Ultramar ones, their faces grizzled and marred with scars, and their bodies emitting a kind of a dangerous aura that suggested that they were veterans of conflicts and bled with their troops.

Then came the Captains of various chapters, their armors richly engraved, sculpted and covered in gold and silver as well as precious beyond any imagination. Some of them wore bulky and heavy Terminator plates, some plain and simple power armor, some much to Harry's surprise had scout armor and finally some precious artificer armor with almost every single surface covered in artwork and often equipped with rare and extremely precious pieces of almost forgotten technology.

Finally by the shorter end of the hall stood masters of various chapters, as well as the Primarchs, Custodes that formed a protective circle around the Primarchs, Wolf Lords and finally a squad of Grey Knights with the Grand Master. Harry let his eyes slip over their faces and armors before finally stopping close to his liege lord and taking his place amongst his Wolf Guard. A thing that wasn't missed by the rest of the Wolf Lords and the Great Wolf and surely would cause issues in the future.

"I called this meeting to discuss the next moves," Lord Commander Dante said and Harry sent a look at the ancient Lord Commander, his face covered by a golden deathmask. "The Tyranid threat to the planet and the chapter has been defeated and we are thankful to all those that came to defend the planet and the Primarchs that returned to the Imperium from their exiles and fought alongside us. In the name of the chapter I pledge three full companies to your cause and the full support of the chapter if you ever have a need for us."

Harry then promptly muted out the various other chapters pledging their companies to the cause and only kept counting how many would be joining, thirty of the Blood Angel descent and further twelve of the Ultramarines as well as most of the Imperial Guard Regiments present on the planet. Which made the originally small fleet an impressive armada able to challenge most of the battlefleets of the Imperium, a thing that became even more realistic once the admirals present on the planet pledged their support to the Primarchs.

"Thank you for all the support and pledges made in the name of your chapters and organizations," Corax said, his voice silky and smooth. "We will remember it and we will use them all, but now we need to hurry for Fenris and then for Deliverance to meet with our chapters and see the state in which they are and then for Terra to take power and rule it in our father's stead. However before we depart, we want the fastest ships to leave for nearby systems and announce the Primarchs once again walk the stars and are here to defend the Imperium."

Harry smiled at this as he easily recognized the hidden message hidden in it, tell those in power that they better are careful or things might happen to them. He had enough experience with the games played between the various Navigator families that he also could see the second meaning, build the support and make sure that people already whisper about the Primarchs by the time the fleet gets to Terra.

o-0-o

Even if the departure was supposed to be imminent over three weeks were spent in orbit above Baal, hunting down the remains of the Hive and securing the planet as well as shipping supplies to the fortress and from the fortress to the ships in the void of space. It was also a time for Leman Russ to work out how the structure of the chapter looked and who was in charge, a task that was far harder than it seemed at first glance as while Wolf Lords were in charge of their companies, there was a large group of Wolf Guard and Long Fangs that could question them and often needed to be respected.

So it first started with the whole chapter gathered on one of the massive decks of _Hrafnkel_ with Russ addressing them and officially taking the command from the Great Wolf, who still remained his second in command and from what Harry saw a trusted advisor and he could smell friendship growing between the two. Then came a thing Harry dreaded a bit, meetings with the Wolf Lords and Harry shifted uncomfortably as he stood on guard inside of Russ's quarters when Ragnar Blackmane stepped inside.

"Don't react to him," Leif said over the vox and Harry nodded in understanding. "You'll react and it will be bad, behave as if you were not seeing him. Focus on your duties, protect your liege and focus solely on your task."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, his body perfectly still as he saw Ragnar stop in front of the throne occupied by Russ and talk with the Wolf King about usual niceties exchanged between a liege and a vassal, but then came something that made Harry focus his whole attention on the two.

"So you stole a Wolf Guard of mine," Ragnar said and then indicated Harry who had a helmet on his head and didn't move or speak since Ragnar entered the room. "I know his smell and I can recognize the way he stands or moves."

"Aye, I did," Russ said and then growled at Ragnar. "But you also forget your place, pup, I'm your king and can pick guards however I want to pick and their former loyalties don't matter to me. I am the Primarch of the Legion and can choose whoever I want to choose and he was the one that found me and my brother, what's a better reward for him than being a member of my bodyguard."

Ragnar bowed his head in understanding and calmed. "I understand, My Lord," he said, his tone a lot more subdued. "I apologize for that outburst."

Russ nodded and then reached for a goblet standing on a table close to his throne. "Now since that's out of the way, would he make a good Wolf Lord in your opinion?"

Ragnar was completely silent for several long moments before speaking. "He is inexperienced and young, but he has the right instincts for a commander and a leader."

"So would he make a good Wolf Lord in your opinion in the next five to ten years?" Russ asked and Ragnar looked at him. "I have something in mind and need candidates for new Wolf Lords. And he caught my attention."

"He would make a fine Wolf Lord by then," Ragnar said and then frowned. "I would give him an old and experienced Long Fang to keep him reined, but he should be a fine option. Another one is a troublesome Blood Claw that should have been a Wolf Guard a long ago…"

"But…?"

"He has a certain knack for causing mischief and troubles," Ragnar said and then his fangs flashed in a sign of annoyance. "Usually against the enemies, but sometimes not and the Long Fangs of the chapter despise him or find amusement in his actions, however in general they block any promotions for him as they think he should mature before being promoted."

"Seems like some people forget their places," Russ muttered and then looked at Ragnar. "Can you summon him here, I wish to speak with him and steal him for my bodyguards."

"Is it wise, my lord?" Ragnar asked. "He isn't the most responsible of warriors and has a lot of enemies in the chapter."

"I choose my guard as I see fit," Russ said and then paused for a moment. "Also some people need to learn their places and need to know that I am in charge."

With those words Ragnar was dismissed and Harry visibly relaxed when the Wolf Lord left the room leaving Russ alone with his bodyguards that also served as his advisors when he needed opinions of people that didn't have much to gain from saying what he wanted to hear.

o-0-o

Logan Grimnar stepped into the throne room of his gene-father and liege and let his gaze slip over the pair of Einherjar standing by the door, their forms clad in Terminator armor and armed with massive claws, before looking at his liege who sat on a throne carved out of a roughly hewn stone and was flanked by pair of Custodes. Their golden armor and red plumes rising from the tops of their helmets looking even more intimidating and prestigious than normally.

"My Lord," Logan said, bowing to his liege, yet not kneeling, he wasn't a minor commander that could be forced into submission by the sheer sight of their Primarch. "You called me and here am I at your call."

"Be at ease," Russ said and Logan relaxed a bit. "You did a well governing the chapter and keeping the Lords under control." Then Russ looked at his guards. "Leave us and ensure nobody, not even my brother can enter it until I allow it." The Custodes looked at each other and then at Russ, but a hard look from him sent them out of the room, Einherjar following soon after. "What I want to discuss is for you only. The Imperium my father wanted to build is not the Imperium that exists now and I'll be too occupied on Terra to command the chapter effectively and I need more warriors that I can trust. A thing on which both Valdor and my brother agree."

"What does it mean, my lord?" Logan asked. "You don't mean to?"

"To found more chapters from my bloodline?" Russ asked and Logan looked at him. "Yes, I mean just that. As much as I dislike splitting the chapter, I need more warriors and need them fast. You started recruiting more warriors on Fenris, an excellent idea and a very good bit of forethought on your part. Warriors from the Company that I brought will be split and those that Cawl made will be added to it and will refill the Space Wolves. Nine Wolf Lords of yours and three members of my own guard will take command of the new chapters that will be formed. They will swear fealty to you and will be yours to call upon in times of need, but for the rest of the time will be independent and will work on their own. I also want each of them to be a unique chapter in its own right, each focusing on something else."

"And what will be your role in all of this, my lord?

"I'll keep the title of the Wolf King, but unless the time will call for it I won't take command as Terra needs cleaning and as much as I would love to command my sons in battle, the Imperium is more important and someone needs to watch over it. And Fenris is close enough that messages can be sent and received in days or weeks instead of months as is the case of my brother."

"So I would be a Steward ruling in your name, my lord?" Grimnar asked, trying to come up with some description for the system suggested by Russ. "Normally ruling over the chapter and successors of it, but in times of dire need letting you take command?"

"Indeed," Russ said and then looked at Grimnar. "You know your Wolf Lords far better than I know or will ever know and I want you to choose nine that can be named as leaders of the nine new chapters. The decisions will made when we finally arrive on Terra as I feel like I'll need services of trustworthy warriors when dealing with the cesspit call Terra and its nobility. It was bad enough when father and Malcador kept them on a leash."

"Few of the factions threatened us with an open war," Grimnar said with a vicious smile. "And the Fang was under siege a time or two."

Russ growled and the armrests groaned under stress as he squeezed them, but then he calmed and looked at the Great Wolf, savage and furious gaze boring into the very being of Grimnar. "What?"

"Yes, sire," Grimnar said and then added. "They hate the fact that we ignore the teachings of your brother and have no love for authority of those corrupt bastards. And the Inquisition was mad at us for saying no to their idea of sterilizing whole world."

At this Russ roared and Grimnar backed away from his liege in fear and not wanting to get attacked by the furious Primarch. "They did what?!"

"Angron was summoned to the world of Armageddon and the Grey Knights, whose existence is hidden from all but the highest ranking Marines were sent to stop him and to protect them the Inquisition did what it did."

"It seems I'll need to have words with the Grey Knights that saved me," Russ said and then shook his head. "Or better, with ones who were insane enough to come up with this kind of an idea."

"I think that our friends on Terra will provide us with the names," Grimnar said and then smirked. "A lot of people treats us as savages, but there are some whom we trust and who will provide us with everything we require, including names of those behind those schemes."

"Good, good," Russ said and then focused on Grimnar in a way that made the Old Wolf shift uncomfortably. "Can you choose nine Wolf Lords that should be elevated to the commander of their own chapter?"

"Of course, Wolf King," Grimnar said and bowed his head before retreating out of the room.

o-0-o

Harry stripped out of his armor and dressed himself in his robe in the gray and yellow of the Space Wolves before sitting down on the floor of his quarters and closing his eyes and almost effortlessly slipping into a state of meditation. His mind wandering across paths it wanted to travel through as his body completely relaxed and released all of the tensions and emotions left him. He felt a weird tug on his mind and focused on whatever that it was and then he felt himself dragged into his own past, events he thought he forgot when the gene-seed took a hold of his body and his mind was reshaped, yet somehow they were here. Stark and clear, far clearer then they would have been to any mortal, yet still there.

He inhaled sharply, his emotions flaring as he looked at his whole mortal life some thirty-eight millenia ago, on Earth or as now it was called Terra, and the mistreatment he suffered from his family there. A thing that made rage and anger burn brightly inside of him and it took a lot out of him to control the urge to slay something and not let his own wolf out of control. He then focused on the time when a Warp rift sucked him out of Earth and sent into this time. He could tell that something was amiss and then he tried to remember the feeling he felt when he was being hurled through the Warp, no daemons were screeching, no gods tried to possess him and turn into their paw.

He was then being chased by that stupid cousin of his when the rift happened on its own, as if something or someone, most likely someone pulled him out of the world and hurled through the Warp. He then realized that only one being that was not Chaos and lived in both points in time had the necessary power and understanding of the Warp to achieve such a thing.

"Now, why did you drag me to this galaxy bathed in blood and unending warfare," Harry whispered, his emerald eyes blazing as psychic powers slowly manifested around him. He slowly exhaled and then inhaled before calming himself and slipping back into the meditative state in which he could spend hours and in extreme cases days.

Harry focused on his past, carefully looking over the memories of the past and looking for any reasons he could have been pulled here and then his heart skipped a beat as his attention was drawn to a memory from the time when he was still an infant. And some kind of a being tried to kill him, only for a woman to throw herself in front of him and take the blast for herself and once the being tried to strike him down. The energy bounced back.

" _Remember well that being,_ " a voice echoed in Harry's head. " _I have plucked you out of your time to confront a great chaos warlord and bring back my sons. One of the four summoned the one you almost killed back then._ "

Harry's eyes opened and he looked around his quarters, his armor on the stand in the corner, weapons neatly arrayed to its side and nobody else in the room. He stretched his senses and spotted nobody outside of the room excluding a pair of Tech-Priests that hurried to attend to their duties and flinched when his mind brushed against theirs.

"Another freaky vision," Harry muttered and shook his head before returning to his meditation and trying to find some peace and calm as the fleet prepared for departure into the Warp and to leave the Baal behind.

o-0-o

Hours slowly passed as the fleet moved towards the Mandeville point, its massive battleships and battlecruisers at its center and smaller and nimbler crafts forming a protective shell around their bigger sisters and their precious cargo of Marines, Titans and most importantly Primarchs. Then the time came and the Warp engines started to come online as the fleet was ready to jump into the Warp and then the fabric of reality was torn open and the fleet entered the Immaterium.

"A Shield Company and two Companies of the Imperial Fists will rendevouz with us above Fenris," Valdor said as he stood on the bridge and looked at Russ. "More would have joined, but Terra is dealing with some civil unrest caused by some more zealous priests and Captain-General is concerned by it."

"How serious the threat of religion became since the time we were gone?" Corax asked, his form almost melting with the shadows and darkness of the bridge.

"Very," Valdor said. "While during the Heresy some worship of the Emperor existed and we tolerated it as it was a thing that was a bulwark against the worship of Chaos, now the religion is everywhere and rules over everything. Until M36 it was manageable and more often than not the Ecclesiarchy was told to shut up and wait, but then a madman called Vandire came and strengthened the Ecclesiarchy, giving it more power, more influence and its own troops. Three things that led to the church gaining the power over everything and de facto ruling over the Imperium."

"Seems like we will need to more or less torch Terra," Corax muttered and Valdor sent him a look. "Gradual change won't work and we need effects fast, effects that will let us prepare for the coming fights and battles against all of the enemies. First we need to start from the Marines and their belief that the Emperor is a god."

"Not all of them follow the faith in the Emperor and most has rather moderate views," Valdor said. "At least those that are aboard ships as I spent time listening to them and trying to learn as much as I could. The fact that we have the Chaplains with them is in fact a good thing."

"How so?" Russ asked and diverted his gaze from a chart showing their course. "Wouldn't they cause the most problems?"

"Normally, yes," Valdor conceded. "But not now, I plan to gather them and give them a short version of the history and explain Imperial Truth to them as well as few interesting facts about Lectitio Divinitatus and the author of it."

"The very same book written by that weakling Lorgar?" Russ asked with a look sent at Valdor. "I thought all were burned down prior to the times of the Heresy."

"Most was, but not all and many more were printed in the times of the Heresy," Corax said and sent a look of disgust towards a massive golden sculpture of their father that was visible atop the projection of one of the Retribution-class battleships. "Do they need to be that shovy?"

"It will get worse once we arrive on Terra," Valdor said and then added. "Some cathedrals occupy a good chunk of a continent, some of them wholly made out of gold, silver and gems. Guarded by thousands of Sisters of Battle and devouring mountains of resources, just to keep running."

"That will end," Corax said quietly. "Even if the Imperium will burn in a civil war, the religious madness will end, no matter the cost."

"Adeptus Custodes will support you, most of the Marines, also, the Guard and Navy, greatly depends, Mars hates the Ecclesiarchy, but the rest will be strongly against it," Valdor said and sent Corax a wary look. "It needs to be done carefully or what we try to safe will topple and fall apart."

"Constantin," Corax said and the first Captain-General of the Custodes looked at him. "I know how to play the game of politics and I know how to play a game of espionage and revolution. Remember Kiavahr and Deliverance, planets I freed having almost no resources."

"I know," Valdor said and paused before his eyes widened. "Yes, this would work nicely." He then paused and looked at Corax. "The issue is that the High Lords have much more power and the Ecclesiarchy will not be willing to give away any of its control so they might even use the assassins, just to stop or slow you down and give them time to hide all the dirt that can be found on them."

"How corrupt did they truly get?"

"As much as it can get, in my times it was bad enough, from the reports I managed to receive from Terra since then, even worse. Rapes, murders, bribes, money meant for the Imperial Guard or the Navy making its way into coffers of the noble families. Those are the nicer parts of what we know about them."

"And the worse?"

"Complete decomposition of the higher levels of the Administratum and the rest of the Imperium. Out of the current twelve of the Lords I can fully trust just three, current Captain-General of the Custodes, Fabricator-General of Mars and Paternoval Envoy from the Navigators."

"They have not much to gain from the politicking so they stay honest," Corax muttered. "While the rest plays the game against each other?"

"Indeed," Valdor said and sent a look at Russ. "Will you be able to control yourself and don't try to kill them, no matter how much you hate them?"

"As much as I would love to behead few of the idiots," Russ growled. "I don't feel like it would benefit me in the long run."

Valdor and Corax nodded before looking towards the displays filling the bridge and the approaching time of the Warp jump.

o-0-o

Weeks of Warp travel were spent on training and honing the skills as well as on learning about the Imperial Truth and the proper ideology of the Imperium where the Emperor was not revered as a God.

For Harry it was even more demanding as he spent endless hours in the training cages, on the firing ranges and in the forges, trying to make his Terminator Armor fit him and work as smoothly as it should. It was also a time for him to learn how to use one of the Aggressor Armors and more importantly time for him to remember all the things he had forgotten about his past life. Things that changed him for good and calmed his wolf spirit, after the training into a Space Marine he felt as if a part of him was missing, a part he couldn't replace. Now that part was back and with it were the thoughts and feelings he didn't have as a Marine.

He looked at his helmet and its snarling visage of a wolf with black thunder markings on the cheeks and runes meticulously engraved around the eyes of it with three thin prongs running forward, along the snout. "I hope that you last longer than the last one," Harry said quietly and put it on. The moment he did it hundreds of overlays and displays appeared in front of his eyes, feeding him data. Then he grasped his axe and walked onto the bridge where a flurry of activity was happening as they were about to drop out of the Warp.

When the translation into the Matterium happened Harry stood on the bridge, behind the throne of his liege and watched the massive chamber for any threats or dangers, both to Russ and to the fleet. Several silent moments passed on watching the displays as the auspexes of the fleet scanned the void, looking for any ships and fortresses that could be inside of the system. Then Harry's eyes were drawn to the main display on which several bright red skulls appeared, a sign of unidentified ships, before flickering and changing to the fists of the Seventh Legion and the aquila of the general Imperial forces.

"Seems like they are right on time," Valdor said and everybody looked at him. "This force was put in haste and they are here before us."

"Do we have information how large of a force we can expect?" Corax asked as he entered, a pair of Custodians shadowing him.

"Two companies of the Imperial Fists and a Shield Host of Custodians," Valdor said and then added. "It was originally going to be a Shield Company, but I requested more of the Custodians. I have a feeling we will need to cut a path to Terra."

"More blades are always welcomed," Russ added and then looked at his brother. "From here to your home and then to Terra?"

"Aye," Corax nodded. "I need to reunite with my Legion and take back its command, also as you said, more blades are welcomed and we should find some in the Ravenspire."

o-0-o

A whole week passed before the fleet departed from Fenris system and heading towards galactic south to meet with the Raven Guard that was in the middle of a massive campaign aimed at a Waaagh hurling itself towards Deliverance and much of the chapter and its successors were in one place. A thing that made all those in command of the armada much happier as it meant they wouldn't need to spend weeks or even months waiting for all the chapters to gather and instead had them in one place. However the events concerning the fleet at large were less scary for Harry than the events that concerned him in person.

"So you found the Wolf King and didn't call the chapter to your position?" Logan Grimnar asked accusatory as they sat in the chambers of the Great Wolf on board of Hrafnkel.

"Great Wolf," Harry said carefully, trying not to show any sign or even suggestion of weakness, he simply couldn't afford it. "The situation was… unclear and there are at play powers far greater than a single chapter or its lords."

"What powers?" Logan asked with a hint of anger and annoyance to his voice.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the Emperor?" Harry said with a shrug that made the Old Wolf leap from his throne. "I don't lie, Great Wolf, I merely state the facts and things I had seen and learned when meditating or when talking with the Custodes. The Emperor had used me as his pawn to achieve far greater things than I could have on my own." Grimnar growled, his fangs bared and poised to strike. "I don't lie to you, Great Wolf, the truth is shocking, but it is truth and you cannot deny it."

Logan remained motionless for several precarious moments, his form tensed and ready to pounce at the young pup that dared to challenge him and then he sat down on his throne and gave Harry a cold, calculating look. "I think I will accept the explanation, for now," he said and his face scarred by age and battle twisted. "But much of the chapter might have issues with accepting that they were denied the chance of rescuing their Primarch."

"I am painfully aware of the fact, Great Wolf," Harry said and then looked at the second in command of the chapter. "But I don't think any will challenge me. Or at least I think so."

o-0-o

Plotting and scheming was nothing as natural and common to nobles on Terra as breathing is to a human that nobody arched an eyebrow when an unremarkable ship landed on one of the landing pads of the Inner Palace, aboard it a group of the Wolfblades, the Celestarch and a Magos Dominus of Mars. They were greeted by one of the Custodes and led into a maze of the corridors, chambers, plazas and halls that compromised the Inner Palace before being ushered into a circular chamber deep in the bowels of the maze. Inside of the room there were three Custodes, Paternoval Envoy to the High Lords of Terra as well as Master of Astronomican and Adeptus Astra Telepathica.

"Thank you for your timely arrival," the Custodian that seemed the oldest and wisest said.

"The summon from the Ten Thousand couldn't been ignored," the Celestarch said and gestured at her companions. "But the people I was asked to bring are somewhat puzzling."

"All will be explained in due time," the Custodian said. "I'm Trajan Valoris, Captain-General of the Custodians, and events of last months forced my hand. Are you all aware of the sudden and unexplained brightness of the Astronomican, the beacon powered by His Majesty and guiding our ships through the Warp?"

"Yes, we are," the Celestarch said, her mind working in overdrive as she tried to guess what could have been the reason for the question. "Many of my relatives have reported that when they gaze into the Empyrean the chorus of voices of the Astronomican is far stronger and far easier to see than it was ever before."

"It needs to stay as a secret and nobody can be allowed to know about it," Master of Astronomican said, even if he was an aged man, he was a politician schooled in the harsh school of politics played by the nobility and more importantly he was a psyker of a considerable power. Not as powerful as the Master of Adeptus Astra Telepathica, but underestimating him was a dangerous thing. "We are monitoring the arcane machinery of Emperor's holy work and suddenly it started to mend itself as if someone or something was using psychic powers to fix it and we have a theory of what could have caused it, but first we want an answer from you. Did the Wolfblade that is missing on Terra send any reports?"

"He did," the Celestarch said. "Written extremely cryptic and almost impossible to decipher for all, but Valkoth." She indicated the Wolfblade standing behind her. "He was only able to do it because he is privy to many signs and languages used by his chapter to obscure true meaning of the message."

"The report, what did it contain?" Trajan asked, leaning a bit forward and showing interest.

"That a Wolf and Raven once again stalk the stars and he is en route to Baal," Valkoth said and grimaced. "Wolf that stalks the stars is a name we use at times for ourselves, but is also a name of the personal banner of our Primarch."

"Clever," Master of Adeptus Astra Telepathica said. "He hid the message in so simple words that most savants of the Inquisition would be lost."

"Is it true, my Lords?" The Celestarch asked. "That Primarchs once again walk the stars."

"It is," Trajan said. "But again, nobody can be trusted with it, bar the people in this room. The news will shake the balance of power and from what we have gathered the rest of the High Lords intercepted the message and isn't too happy about it. Much more we cannot tell you, but we expect that you prepare your holdings for the coming battles and clashes."

o-0-o

 **A/N - Reviews:**

 _Storm Fury_ **\- remember that here Leman Russ is back and he knows about a lot of hidden stashes of gear and more importantly if he has any reason in his thick skull he will let Corax utilize his blood and genome to develop Wolf version of Raptors or make Primaris even nastier. So Magnus when he, if he comes, to Fenris might run away very fast.**

 _Albionia -_ **Here is what you asked for, kinda, for details Harry needs to meditate some more and hope that Big E will amuse him with some glimpses into the future or the past.**

 _Ataxius -_ **You can write a book or two about it, a lot varies on chapter. Imperial Fists or Black Templars are monastic orders so nope, nein, niet, nie, but in case of Space Wolves, White Scars and other chapters that take, how to say it, ah, a more casual approach to their duty and discipline it is there.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N – Weird chapter that is mostly focused on the Warp and shenanigans related to it, but some people might be able to guess a thing or two about what I prepared for you all. Also at the end there is something special.**

The _Hrafnkel_ left the Immaterium and almost immediately found itself under attack, swarms of crude ork crafts hurling themselves at it and the accompanying armada. The primitive crafts that were more a collection of wrecks held together by some miracles than actual warships blasted towards the fleet. Firing every single one of their guns and trying to board it.

"Orks, they don't change," Russ said from his throne on the bridge of the _Hrafnkel_. "As brash and irritating as they were during the Crusade."

Harry smiled at it and then his gaze flickered to the schematics of the ship showing areas that were under assault. The orks were mindless brutes that attacked the enemy no matter the disparity in power and size and now swarms of them were trying to board the _Hrafnkel_. Noises of combat were resonating across the whole hull as the crew and the Space Marines fought to keep the enemy at bay and protect the ship.

"My Lord," Harry said quietly looking at Russ. "Should I go and help them?"

Russ only laughed, his voice not quite human and not quite wolflike. It also made Harry's wolf spirit claw at the restrains keeping it in check and woke his blood thirst. "Do you doubt if your brothers can fight off some ork boarders?"

Harry took a deep breath, calming himself and then smiled. "No, my lord, I don't doubt their skills. I just think they might need support to finish the fight sooner. After all, we're here to shatter this Waaagh and meet with the Raven Guard."

Russ nodded and gave a sign that Harry understood as a permission to do what he pleased. The next moment he was running out of the bridge, a pack of Wolf Guard on his heels. Their heavy boots pounding against the deck as human serfs moved out of their path, just to avoid getting crushed by the armored bulk of the Astartes.

Harry sniffed the air and bared his fangs as the strong stench of orks hit him. He glanced at the rest of the Wolf Guard and put on the helmet as his lips moved into a feral smile revealing his elongated canines. He turned around one last corner and an ork boarding ship punched through the hull, right in front of him.

He activated his axe power field and as the first greenskin jumped down he was ready and swung the deadly weapon, the blade easily slicing through the ork and killing him on the spot. As he saw more orks pour out of the craft he howled, excitement coursing through his body as he slammed into them.

Their teeth, claw and primitive arms clattering harmlessly against his armor and his axe easily cleaving their bodies into pieces. He shoved an ork aside and his eyes glowed cerulean blue as lightnings started to jump through the orks around him.

The screams and yells of orks filled the corridor as electricity fried their bodies, burning and mutilitating their bodies before finally killing them. Harry looked at the charred corpses and then sniffed the air, trying to find the next place where the orks boarded.

"Spread out," he barked in the direction of his squad. "Hunt down the orks and join up with other groups."

The Wolf Guard nodded and he moved down the corridor towards the place where he smelled some orks. Their strong, almost knocking out musky smell was hard to miss, even more on a ship that smelled like the Wolves of Fenris. Harry's eyes narrowed as he heard the sound of combat and then he saw a couple of orks fight with the human serfs. At this his eyes narrowed even more and he reached for his rifle before starting to fire as he ran the last few meters before slamming into the closest ork.

The greenskin let out a grunt of surprise before Harry's hand ripped its throat out and he got up. His massive armored bulk covered in the foul, black blood of the orks as with contemptuous ease he slew the remainder of the group before looking at the serfs. "Join to the rest of your units," he said and before he was done speaking they were gone.

His eyes scanned the corridor and sensing no more danger he turned around and started his return towards the bridge and his lord. A thing that could take a long, long time, considering that the orks were pouring in and many would be on his way back to the bridge.

o-0-o

Valdor stood on the bridge of the _Hrafnkel_ , gaze of his eyes cold and uncaring as he analyzed the data displayed on dozens of holographic projections. He was the oldest of the Emperor's Praatoerians and his most trusted companion and advisor. In the times seen by the most of the Imperium as myths and legends he was commanding armies and overthrowing tyrants. This battle above Deliverance while certainly large, wasn't impressive nor the biggest one he saw.

"Order the escorts closer," he snapped and watched as the scores of lighter crafts moved closer. Tightening the net of poing defense fire and shooting down few more ork boarding torpedoes.

"We need to reach Delivarence," Corax said and Valdor glanced at the son of his lord. "They need our support to win the battle." Prince of the Unkindness paused and flinched. "Even if it hurts me to admit it, my sons will be overwhelmed otherwise."

"I know," Valdor said and then his gaze flickered to several ork battleships. "Those need to be gone. Otherwise any attempts to reinforce the planet will be futile."

Corax nodded and walked out of the chamber, a thing that made Valdor smile. The battleships soon would discover what a Primarch could do when motivated to use their skills and knowledge. In the time immemorial presence of one Primarch was an event to be celebrated and gathering of two and the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard was almost a legend. A thing the soldiers talked about for months. Now as he stood on the bridge dressed in his shining golden armor and holding in his hand the Apollonian Spear.

One of the two spears forged by the Emperor before the birth of the Imperium and since then entrusted to him, Constantin Valdor, the oldest and wisest of His guardians and companions. The spear could kill Primarchs, deamons and possibly even gods, a thing not many pieces of weaponry in the known galaxy could achieve.

He glanced at Russ sitting on a throne and brooding, a very unusual thing for the Wolf King, but one he didn't mind. The Russ he used to know from the times of Heresy was rash and a berserker, this one seemed to be somewhat patient and more restrained and more importantly knew when to step aside. A change Valdor appreciated as for once he didn't need to force him into submission.

Turning back to the battle Valdor smiled when one of the battleships was ripped apart by a chain of explosions that needed to originate inside. "Bring us to ram the closest one," he coldly said looking at the shipmaster.

The human in charge of ship nodded and the massive behemoth slowly moved, its form turning towards its target and Valdor could feel as through his boots passed tremors that shook the whole deck. Any battleship was slow to get moving, but once it started, there was no way of stopping it short of actually blowing it up.

The moments leading to the inevitable collision dragged out and Valdor could see in perfect clarity the ork battleship try to move out of the way and fail as the shipmaster carefully adjusted movements of the _Hrafnkel_ to compensate for those maneuvers. Then the impact happened and Valdor could see the heavily armored and reinforced prow of a Gloriana-class battleship plow though what orks called void shields and then through the soft armor of their battleship.

What was left of the battleship didn't last long as the macrocannons battered the exposed innards of the ship and caused a chain of massive secondary explosions that ripped the craft apart. Leaving only a rapidly growing cloud of debris behind, a thing that made Valdor smile as it was the last obstacle between them and the safe orbit for a drop pod assault on the planet.

"Unleash your Wolves," Valdor said turning to look at Russ. "Custodians will guard you and will be yours to command."

o-0-o

Usually a single strike cruiser and their cargo of Space Marines was enough to force a planet to submission or break a minor ork Waaagh. But above Deliverance there were over forty normal companies of Marines, thirteen Great Companies of the Wolves and Raven Guard elements. Hundreds of drop pods were released, each of them carrying a squad of Marines ready to bring destruction to the orks, however they weren't the only Marines preparing to drop.

The assault ramp of a Stormbird lowered as the gunship slipped by the edge of the atmosphere and Harry looked at the atmosphere below before glancing at the pack of Wolf Guard behind. He nodded at them and then stepped out of the Stormbird, the outer shell of his Gravis armor shutting and protecting his head. He then spread his hands, his axe and shield safely locked to his back and dived, the thrusters of his armor briefly firing to keep him on course. Splashing against the surface like some meteor was not a good thing for him, but a controlled descent that let him pounce onto the enemy made him smile.

He could see the surface grow rapidly as he plummeted through the thin and highly toxic atmosphere of the moon that was a homeworld of the Primarch of the Nineteenth Legion. And now was besieged by the orks that seemed keen on not leaving the place. As the ground neared Harry checked data fed to him by his armor and then activated the vox of his unit.

"Slow down your descent," he said and then held his breath for a second. "Now!" When he said this word thrusters on the back of his armor fired and his descent leveled.

With roar of engines he passed above a trench line manned by the Raven Guard and Imperial Guard and then slammed into the orks ahead of them. He cut the power to the engines and reached for the axe and shield before landing on an ork in front of him. The bulk of the greenskin taking the brunt of the impact. The bones snapped and organs were turned into bloody paste. Even if orks were designed for combat, no living being could survive a meeting with a Space Marine traveling at several hundred kilometers per hour.

The axe in his hand and glowing with psychic fire Harry walked forward, the shield in his hand easily stopping ork blades, teeth, claws and bullets as his axe carved their owners to bloody pieces. He deflected an axe strike from a massive ork boy and with a single strike of the axe sliced the foul beast in twain before dropping into a crouch as a heavy bolter salvo passed directly over him.

"Watch your fire."

Getting up, he charged towards the orks that seemed to waver and break. A thing that confounded him, until he noticed both Primarchs and Custodians carve a path through the ork Waaagh and towards the Warboss. Harry thought he would never see a scared greenskin, as those things were too dumb to feel fear, but now it felt as if they were afraid of the Primarchs.

Harry laughed as he looked at the orks fleeing away from the Primarchs, trying to protect themselves and avoid getting slaughtered. He didn't let it distract him and focused on the fighting around him. He felt a heavy bullet slam against his helmet and moved out of the way of the next shot before slaying the ork that fired.

He reached a small hill and looked around, behind him was the Ravenspire, the home of the Raven Guard and in front was a massive Waaagh. Or rather its shattered remains, dozens of groups of Marines fighting with the orks and slaying them in the hundreds as they worked on eliminating the leaders of the horde. As he looked upwards he could see the massive battleships of the armada move across the sky, their sides blazing as they dueled with the ork constructs that still remained. Yet he could tell that the battle was already won, the matter of time being them breaking the fleet and fully liberating the system.

o-0-o

As the dusk descended onto the Deliverance Harry stood on top of one of the many turrets of the Ravenspire and watched the barren landscape, now mostly covered in ork bodies and their foul, black ichor. He shook his head and pulled the helmet off, revealing his youthful face with emerald eyes and covered in a net of fine scars, his long black hair flew in the wind and he slowly breathed in. The atmosphere, normally lethal, merely unpleasant for him, carried also the scent of the world and the events happening here.

He could smell death, blood and war, but also the heavy scent of lubricants and greases used by the Mechanicus in their forges and mines. Reminding him that this moon was not only a fortress of the Marines, but also a major manufactorum of the Mechanicus. He once more sniffed the air and then paused as the hair on the back of his neck rose and his senses screamed danger.

"Warp," he snarled as he reached for a plasma pistol he carried with himself for safety. "Its taint is here." He put on his helmet and walked into the fortress.

As he descended through the corridors, trusting his senses he noticed that a lot of the Marines that crowded the fortress was restless and on edge. While the Blood Claws and Scouts were always such, the veterans tended to be more relaxed and calm. The deeper he was getting he could feel the taint grow stronger and stronger, a thing that unsettled him even more.

"Where are the Grey Knights?" he snarled into the vox as he stopped in front of one of the shafts leading to the deepest levels of the fortress.

"With the Primarchs."

Harry muttered a curse under his breath and then considered his options, he could investigate on his own, a thing he had the right to do, but was also a risky one. His brows furrowed for a second as he looked at the door and then paused, forcing his body to relax. The other option was to get his old master from the Grey Knights to come and see this, a thing that would get him scolded if it was nothing or rewarded if in this mess there was something important.

"Get Grand Master Voldus and a squad of Paladins here," Harry said and then added more forcefully. "I don't give a fuck that they are with the Primarchs, I can smell Warp here."

He could almost smell fear and terror through the vox and Harry allowed himself a smile, disturbing Primarchs was a thing that nobody wanted to do and bearers of bad news were often in the worst position.

Knowing that he had plenty of time Harry looked very carefully at the door barring him access and focused also on the powers that could be concealing things from his sight. He called forth his powers and as his eyes glowed cerulean blue and his powers came forth he could see nothing. Nothing excluding the overflowing Warp taint he didn't need any of his powers to notice. A thing that troubled him, as usually if something was tainted or a source of taint it was more than simple Warp energy seeping into the world.

He was about to kick in the door and force his way through when he heard footsteps behind, glancing backwards he saw Voldus flanked by a squad of Paladins, all of them in their terrible panoply of war.

"Do you feel it?" Harry asked as he eyed the door.

"Aye," Voldus said and gave Harry a look. "There is something hidden here, but what, the Ravens aren't that keen to reveal."

Harry considered his options for a moment and smirked under his helmet. "Well, we need to get some more information and this door is on our path. Time to kick it in?"

Voldus nodded and indicated at one of the Paladins that had a power fist to step forward and do the deed. Much to their surprise the door survived first few strikes until finally giving up after the tenth one. Harry kneeled and picked up a piece of metal that was chipped off. "Who makes doors to a stupid lift shaft out of adamantium?" he muttered looking at it.

"It would be a proper question," Voldus said peering into the darkness. "If the thing we got to was a lift shaft."

Harry looked at the grand master who just smiled and indicated for him to see for himself. Harry did it and then his eyes widened. The shaft was not that for a lift, but it was an access point to something that was a massive engine room of a star fortress.

"What in the Emperor's name is it?" Harry asked as he squinted his eyes. "A Warp Core, really?"

"Seems that the Angels aren't the only ones that have a mobile fortress."

Harry glanced at the grand master before shrugging and activating magnetic soles of his boots and starting to walk down the shaft and towards the source of the Warp corruption. With each step he could feel it grow more and more powerful and as he got to the very core he felt as if he was drowning in corruption.

However that wasn't the thing that unsettled him, that title belonged to the lack of daemons and other horrors usually associated with the Warp. He scanned the room, his plasma pistol in front of him and ready to be fired at moment's notice, yet there was nothing.

"We need to shut it down," Harry said as he approached the control station of the Core.

"I think it is too late," Voldus said and Harry looked sharply at the Grand Master. "If it was a Warp rift, we would be flooding in daemons right now. Yet there are no, just the taint of the Warp. Sometimes also felt when entering the Warp on the extremely old ships."

Harry's eyes widened rapidly as he tried to understand what the older Astartes meant. "Are you?"

"Implying that it was done on purpose?" Voldus asked and shook head. "No, I don't. What I imply is that it isn't a normal Warp rift and there is something more to it. Trying to forcefully shut it down would most likely result in a full blown Warp rift."

Harry was about to activate the vox and call his Primarch and ask for a permission to turn off the Core, but then the Core fully activated and for a brief second they felt as if they were passing through the Warp. However at the same time it was too peaceful and too calm for a real Warp passage and then as suddenly as it appeared it was gone.

"The Warp is gone," Voldus said with a frown. "But what that was, I cannot tell."

o-0-o

Ragnar Blackmane stormed onto the bridge of his flagship, the _Pride of Russ_ and looked at the shipmaster that seemed as shocked and terrified as anybody else aboard the ship. "What was that, shipmaster?" he asked harshly.

"Something happened with the Deliverance," the shipmaster said and sent his lord an apologetic look. "We don't know what that was, but it took us with it."

"So where are we?"

"The stars don't match any known constellations and they look different than any we know," the shipmaster said and then swallowed. "However the cogitators hint at us being above Terra."

"What? How?"

"The Warp," the shipmaster said with a shrug that would have sent any other lord onto a bloody rampage. "There are reports of ships being moved in time as well as place. But if this is what happened to us, it is also the biggest ever such jump."

"How big?"

"Close to thirty-eight thousand years, give or take a thousand or so years."

Ragnar's eyes narrowed, but then he looked out of the viewport and saw Luna come into their view and beyond it, the lush green and blue ball that must have been Terra in age long gone. It seemed so unreal and impossible, yet his instincts were telling him he was right and it indeed was the cradle of humanity.

o-0-o

Ragnar was not the only one that felt that they were above Terra, in fact, it was a feeling shared by everybody aboard the fleet and on the Deliverance. It was a feeling of great relief and happiness as for once in their entire lives many of them didn't feel the never ending pressure of the Warp and the Chaos. Instead they felt safe and looked brightly towards the future and what it was hiding.

In the highest of the spires of the Ravenspire gathered Primarchs, Valdor and the leaders of other groups as well as their closest advisors trying to decide what to do.

"Even if it tempts us, we need to stay hidden," Voldus said and with a wave of hand silenced the angry looks he received. "The Ordos of the Holy Inquisition and my chapter gather data about similar events and now we need to learn what is happening and avoid any interactions. Paradoxes are an extremely dangerous issue for us and we need to first divine the future and then act."

"He is right," Valdor added and they looked at him, some with hatred and anger. "I was the closest advisor of the Emperor for hundreds of years and I managed to learn of many mysteries from him. One of them was about time and Warp. What Grand Master Voldus says is right. We need to learn what is going on, watch and limit our contact with them to as little as possible."

"However we should be able to recruit a fair share of Aspirants without many issues," Voldus said and many captains looked at him, their anger replaced by curiosity. "On any world, no matter how developed there are many primitive and forgotten areas. There we can find youths that will be capable warriors and a good material for the next generation of Astartes."

"It would be also a good scouting mission," Corax said, the ethereal aura of a Primarch drawing attention to him. "Sharrowkyn, gather a small team and take one of our stealth Thunderhawks. Try to gather twenty or thirty Aspirants, but more importantly avoid detection."

"Pass an order for the fleet to move to the far side of the moon and limit emissions," Valdor added. "Same goes for any reactors we have that aren't crucial for the fortress to run."

"Harald, Lukas," Russ said and two of his youngest and newest Wolf Guard straightened. "You will go with Nykona."

"And I think that I will join, too," Voldus said, stepping forward. "I'm possibly the most experienced and powerful psyker of all of us and can conceal us if need be."

"If we are right about the time in which we are, the Aspirants will be a better breed than those we usually induct," said one of the grim Apothecaries. "The Warp and the mutations caused by it affect the genes of even pure humans and that affects our rates of induction. Harald is a perfect example of this." At this Apothecary indicated Harry who didn't look in his direction. "The transformation went far smoother and better than in almost every other Marine inducted at the same time."

"That is true," Valdor said and then added. "The issue is their mentality, what scarse remains of information about this period they mention an age of relative peace and prosperity which makes sub-par warriors."

"Even if," Corax said. "There are always those that are warriors or fighters and just finding them is slightly harder. But not for the Ravens." This last bit made almost every bare headed Space Wolf to bare their fangs in a show of irritation. "Yes, yes, you are trackers, but it is my Legion that specializes in scouting and intelligence gathering. So it is natural that it is us who can find the right Aspirants."

o-0-o

Stealthy Thunderhawks were a rare breed of the gunship utilized by the Space Marines and their usage was limited to the Raven Guard, their successors and some watch fortresses of the Death Watch. Providing them with means of hidden insertion of troops even in a heavily defended area and without knocking out enemy surveillance systems.

Now one of such vessels took off from one of the many hangars of the Ravenspire and slowly made its way towards Terra. As opposed to the standard variation of the craft most of the blunt and sharp lines was smoothed out and the engines were hidden by additional playing hiding their thermal emissions and the whole hull was covered in several layers of substance absorbing most known kinds of radiation. While it wasn't as sophisticated as the cloaking technologies utilized by the T'au or the Eldar it was more than enough for most missions and was often used during first contact incidents when the Imperium wanted to watch from afar.

"Where do you think we should land?" Voldus asked as all of them sat in the space right behind cockpit and looked at the sensors data. "The world seems fairly well developed and there's a lot of noise across all frequencies."

"Some out of the way place with little civilization," Sharrowkyn said and they looked at him. "Even if we are hard to spot, we're still a large gunship and that can attract some attention. Not to mention that people there will be hardy and better suited for a life of an Astartes."

o-0-o

Corax's onyx black eyes flickered faintly in the dim light of the room as he looked at Valdor. "Constantine, is it me or nobody asked the most important question of how the fuck did we get here and how do we plan to get to our time?"

"No, it is not only you," Valdor said and Corax tensed. "It feels as if some subtle suggestion was placed in our minds to just accept it and try to act based on it."

"But we are supposedly protected from such tricks played on our minds."

"Yes, we are." Valdor's words were followed by a period of silence and several seconds passed before he spoke again. "But remember Horus, he was corrupted by something playing with his mind."

"Yes, when he was injured and weakened," Corax said bitterly and his hands curled up into fists, talons mounted to his gauntlets flashing dangerously. "But here, something did it to a pair of Primarchs, over a hundred of Custodians and several thousand Space Marines. Many of which are potent psykers and are designed to be hard to influence."

Valdor stood immobile for seconds and then moved towards the sole of window of the chamber, and looked at the planets beyond. "Until today, I would have said, that's impossible, maybe for all, but the Emperor or the Sigillite. Yet it happened. Now the question is, who has the power to do it."

"Gods of Chaos?" Corax frowned and then closed his eyes. "There are just three of them now and most is much weaker than in our time."

"But also, the time in the Warp works strangely," Valdor said, his perfect face bathed in the sparse sunlight. "And there are many unexplained until now paradoxes of it, when you and your brothers were scattered across the galaxy. The Word Bearers in their thrice cursed armors were there."

"How?"

This single word spoken by Corax was more than a whole monologue and carried more weight than there could be put in anything more complicated. He was no psyker of major skill, but even he had basic knowledge of the Warp and never saw such things.

"We theorize there was a Greater Daemon or a couple orchestrating the event," Valdor said and then frowned. "Any in this age will be much weaker, but there were some proto-psykers since time long forgotten and if the thing feeds long enough."

Corax paled, his pale alabaster skin turning to a sickly shade of white. "Dear Emperor...," he whispered.

"Yes," Valdor said quietly. "This being could be as powerful as a minor deity. Bound to one place and unable to exert its full power outside of it, or the Warp."

"And unless we kill or banish it, we won't go back to my father and help save the Imperium."

Valdor didn't say anything, but his looks was all Corax needed to see that the Captain-General was agreeing with him and knew that it was the truth. The tiny issue was finding the thing and making sure it became an object from the past.

o-0-o

The Thunderhawk passed above gently sloped hills beyond which was a small collection of wooden and brick buildings, and then touched down without a single sound. At the same time the Marines running down the ramp, bolters in their hands and combat knives at their belts. Their target were those buildings or rather position from which they could watch it safely.

"Be careful," Sharrowkyn hissed into the vox. "We need to remain hidden and strike when we are sure we have what we came for."

The remaining three nodded, their faces hidden behind faceplates of their helmets and carefully approached the hills...

o-0-o

 _Something special, something that I have been working for last few months is soon to be released and this is the spoiler/trailer of it._

A lock clicked and then the door silently opened. A beam of light shot through and bathed the individual that opened them in brightness. He was dressed in a black, leather coat reinforced with armor and his head was hidden behind a cowl. He stepped through the door, in his hand shining a bolt pistol and in the second, a simple rosette of the Inquisition.

"Lord Inquisitor," someone spoke and his pistol immediately pointed towards the source of the voice. "Your arrival is unexpected."

"Step out of the shadows, Akilles," the Lord Inquisitor snapped, his finger pressing onto the trigger.

There was a moment of silence and then a person clad in a heavy robe of the Administratum stepped out of the shadows, his head was bare, a tattoo of the rosette on his forehead, proclaiming his oaths to the Inquisition for all to see. "How may I serve you, my lord?"

"I need access to the archives," the Lord Inquisitor said and then lowered the gun. "Archives of the Legiones Astartes you keep a copy of."

At those words Akilles eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"That's the private matter of my Ordo, one you don't need to know."

"I answer to the Ten Thousand," Akilles said with an edge to his voice. "And they watch us from the shadows."

Lord Inquisitor nodded and pulled out a thin scroll sealed with a red wax seal. "This is the reason why I'm here," he said handing it to Akilles.

Akilles took the scroll, broke the seal, scanned the text and his eyes widened. "Lord Commander of the Imperium wants you to organize and smooth out history since the Dawn of the Imperium til now?"

"Aye," the Lord Inquisitor said and holstered the pistol. "Yet it cannot leave this chamber, only his closest advisors know about it."

"Not many will be happy," Akilles said with a grimace before pulling out a small obsidian cylinder covered in engravings and small golden studs. "You know what to do with it."

The Lord Inquisitor nodded and walked past Akilles into the darkness, cowl slipping off his head and revealing his scarred and battered face. He inserted the cylinder into a fitting hole in a wall in front of him and smiled. "The time has come to reveal the secrets of the past," he said and then twisted the key. "And see the glory of the Imperium in all of its splendor."

One by one twenty hololith sculptures appeared, each of them a number and a sign of one of the Twenty Legions. They lit one by one, each of them unique and special. Each of them a sign of glory and power and respect.

Then all of them were gone, only single one remaining, a head of a Jaguar with a number eleven in its middle. "Black Jaguars," he murmured and stepped through, doors moving aside.

o-0-o

 **A/N – Hmm, what can go wrong when Marines find themselves in a wrong place in time and have Primarchs to lead them.**

 **And as for the last bit, that's a surprise and I won't tell much about this, not yet. Try to guess and amuse me with your theories what that can mean.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N – Another chapter, kinda action packed, but nothing unusual.**

Harry crouched behind the hill ridge and gazed through the scope of his bolter at the cluster of buildings. He glanced to the side and he could see Lukas and Sharrowkyn lay nearby with Voldus standing on a hill behind them and watching out for anybody sneaking onto them.

"It's too quiet," Harry muttered. "Nothing unusual and this is going to be us waiting for the night to come."

"Don't tempt fates," Sharrowkyn muttered, his trademark sniper rifle resting to his side. "Or things start happening."

Harry scoffed at this and pulled his helmet of his face, letting the wind caress his skin and letting him taste the air. A thing that gave Space Wolves way more information than all other senses combined. He could smell nothing out of ordinary and then cast the look at the sun. It was slowly moving downward, which meant just few more hours of waiting motionless there.

"There is always waiting before the hunt," Lukas whispered and Harry glanced at him before returning to watching their target. "So patience, pup."

Harry's canines appeared as he snarled, but then it died down as the training took over his instincts and he stilled himself. His mind slowly slipping into a meditative state to help him pass the time and let his psychic senses stretch across the whole area. Normally it was the thing he wouldn't do, for the fear of getting possessed by some daemon or other denizens of the Warp, but here there were none and he could freely use those powers.

"Be careful," Voldus muttered into the vox and Harry flinched at the voice. "Yes, there is no major threat from the Warp, but there are still proto-psykers lurking in the shadows."

Harry nodded and then checked the time before rising off the ground and slowly moving down the slope in the last rays of the sunlight. He glanced to the side and nodded to Lukas before sprinting towards the wall of the nearest building.

"Nykona, do you see anything?" Harry whispered into his vox, his hand on his bolt pistol.

"Nothing," the ancient Raven Guard said. "You can enter the building, just be careful."

Harry nodded and carefully opened the door before sneaking inside and looking around. Seeing nobody he motioned for Lukas to follow and the two of them sneaked towards the rooms where they should find the future Aspirants.

"I'll watch, you grab them," Lukas said and Harry nodded as he ducked under the low hanging wooden plank.

Harry nodded and opened the door before moving across the room and reaching one of the best occupied by their targets. For a moment he looked at the sleeping soundly teen, having issues believing that one could have so peaceful life and felt a pang of jealousy. But then he shook his head and using a miniscule amounts of his psychic powers and abilities he reached out to their minds and sent them into slumber so deep they would be unable to wake up for next several hours. He lifted first one out of his bed and handed to Lukas before reaching for the other and leaving the room.

"Took you longer than I thought," Harry heard as they emerged out of the house, Nykona standing there with his rifle slung over his shoulder. "We need to hurry, Voldus detected something moving in our direction."

Harry nodded and with the boy in his arms he ran after Nykona and towards the gunship that was waiting for them behind the line of the hills. They ran across the hills and got aboard the Thunderhawk, right as they saw some vehicles and people moving in the distance.

"That was close," Harry said, dropping the to be Aspirant onto the floor and looking through one of viewports.

"And it is worrying," Sharrowkyn said, Harry sending questioning looks his direction. "Someone, something saw us and alerted the authorities. Which means that the next place where we look for Aspirants will have a warm greeting waiting for us."

Harry nodded and then looked at Lukas. "Should we mention to our liege that there are some issues?"

"That won't be necessary," Voldus said and all of them looked at the Grey Knight. "My psychic powers can allow us a safe passage and the Lords are aware of the issues."

o-0-o

Corax frowned as he looked at the slate he was handed. "How accurate that is?" he asked, his gaze focused on a cowl covered head of a Mechanicum adept. "Their detection of the Thunderhawk is worrying."

"Based on the traffic analysis and the time of the entry of the Thunderhawk, they did detect it," the Magos said, his voice that of a machine. "We believe they saw the thermal radiation."

"What can we do to limit their chances of detecting it?" Corax asked, his voice smooth and silky, yet nobody was in doubt that he was the leader.

"Be more careful in choosing where we enter the atmosphere," the Magos said and one of his mechadendrites reached to Corax, handing him another slate. "One of our destroyers used its auspexes to gather data and it seems that the most watched part of the surface is the northern hemisphere and we should focus elsewhere and be there careful."

"As we expected," Valdor added from his spot in the corner of the chamber. "Do you have any good spot for a base of operations on Terra?"

"Southern polar cap seems as the most optimal place. Population is close to none and there is not much that would be curious of our presence there."

"And the conditions are harsh enough to weed out the worst recruits before we ship them here," Corax muttered and then glanced at Russ. "Your Wolves, can they build in snow and ice or do we need to get Fists to do it?"

"They can," Russ said and shot an angry glance at Corax. "Do you really think we are dumb?"

"No, of course not," Corax said and then frowned before looking at Valdor. "Since you are the most impartial here. Do you think it makes sense?"

"In current conditions, yes, it does," Valdor said and then approached the table before looking at Russ and then at Corax. "I want a single company from your chapters ready and mustered in the hangar bay of the fortress in next twenty minutes. Add to that your Techmarines, Apothecaries and Librarians and I'll assemble rest of the forces necessary to set it up."

"What do you plan, Constantine?" Corax asked, frown creasing his features. "That's a lot of forces for construction job."

"Start to gather data," Valdor said and indicated the Magos that retreated away from them. "He is good and what he did is impressive, but we need to see things with our eyes and get access to their information network."

"Makes sense and my sons are perfect for the job," Corax said and then paused looking at the far away Earth visible through the window. "This world is an enigma and what we will find might change us."

o-0-o

Lukas passed few meters away from their target and raised his hand to stop the rest of their little group. "Do you also feel this?" he asked, sniffing the air, hair on the back of his neck raising. "That smells like a fight."

"Yes," Harry said, grimacing a bit and reaching for an axe before looking at Sharrowkyn. "You cover us from behind and we get the targets?"

"Indeed, young Wolf," Sharrowkyn said as he started to climb one of the few trees in the area. "Just be careful and leave something for me."

They smiled ferally and entered into something that was a minor village, only to be almost immediately forced to scatter as bullets flew their way. Scrapping against their armors and impacting walls.

Harry rolled behind a piece of concrete and reached for his plasma pistol. He rose from behind his cover and carefully aimed at one of the shooters that looked in his direction. Harry pulled the trigger and a ball of superheated plasma took out the head of his target.

"Nykona, some support?" Harry whispered into the vox, ducking back behind the cover, bullets flying above his head.

The next few sounds he heard was the rhythmic noise of an Astartes sniper rifle firing and then being reloaded. When it all ceased he looked for anybody that was alive and was a threat. However he could see nobody like it, just a lot of headless corpses with their brains splattered all over the mud and concrete around.

"That was impressive," Lukas said, emerging from his own cover, rifle in hands. "I saw good snipers, but never something like this."

"He almost killed a Primarch," Voldus said, even if the voice showed indifference, Harry could sense some respect in it. "He needs to be good to do something like this."

"We have a mission," Lukas added and indicated a large building ahead of them. "There should be everybody we need, twenty or so of them."

"Twenty-five to be exact."

Fifteen minutes later they were back aboard their Thunderhawk, back of it filled to the brim with sleeping teens of various ages and looks. All of them would be the first batch of Aspirants of the various Space Marine chapters that were here.

"Interesting," Nykona said as the four of them sat together and looked at the data they received. "We're not going to the Deliverance."

"Probably too much noise and attention," Voldus added and Nykona nodded in agreement.

"And they want to weed them out a bit before we ship them for implantation," then the Raven Guard's lips quirked up into a smile. "You Wolves will love it."

"Why?" Lukas asked as he disassembled and cleaned his rifle.

"Ice and snow and cold."

"Sounds fun," Harry muttered. "More interesting than the heat of Baal."

o-0-o

When the Thunderhawk arrived in the place where the new camp was to be Harry could already see several structures built out of snow and ice and a large number of Space Marines milling around. He could also see Thunderhawks parked and being unloaded with Marines carrying out crate after crate of supplies. A thing that made him frown as usually it was the serfs that did the mundane tasks of running the chapter, but it was nothing compared to a pair of Stormbirds sitting nearby.

"Those I haven't seen used in ages," Sharrowkyn said as Harry indicated them. "Each can carry a full company and supplies for it or several vehicles in its hold."

"So someone was in hurry," Harry said as the Thunderhawk touched down. "Let's find out who." He then glanced at Lukas. "You mind keeping their company?"

Lukas nodded and Harry allowed himself a smile, Lukas was an insanely good warrior, but also one that pissed off all leaders for the sake of it and the last thing he wanted now was to make someone mad. The axe and the shield on his back Harry walked out of the Thunderhawk and towards Valdor who slowly approached them.

"How was the trip?" Valdor asked casually, yet Harry could smell and see that it was forced casualness to help him relax.

"Full hold of Aspirants and some paint work needed for our armors," Harry said and then looked around. "Seems cozy and warm."

"Maybe for you, Wolves," Sharrowkyn muttered. "I would prefer more of a jungle than this ice wasteland."

Harry chuckled merrily, but then shook his head and focused back on Valdor. "So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Rest and then help in getting the camp going," the Custodian said and then paused. "Once that's done, you can take help the Apothecaries with what you all brought. Sharrowkyn, for you I will have a different task. Take the gunship and few of your brothers and go look for more Aspirants."

Next few hours were a blur for Harry as he and several dozen of other Marines built lodgings that would let them live in comfortable conditions, as well as would house the new recruits before adding some storage areas and organizing small armory. Most arms and armor was still on Deliverance, but they had a decent collection of basic bolters and chain weapons. Two things that should suffice against most things they would meet on the surface, even daemonic incursions included. And against those there were always force weapons and the Grey Knights, a squad of whom was more than enough.

However what surprised Harry the most was the fact that all the Marines, no matter their chapter of origin seemed to work together with most of the grudges set aside. A thing that he didn't see for a long time, yet made him happy.

When they were done Harry looked at the camp and even if he felt tired he was extremely happy, a set of ten halls with an armory in the middle all done, as well as several pieces of machinery they needed hidden in pits dug out in snow and Thunderhawks parked in an even row and ready to took off at moments notice.

He put on his helmet and walked to watch the new recruits wake up out of their psychic powers induced sleep and the overwhelming things he smelled was fear and uncertainty of where they were and what was happening to them. Harry could also smell around them some faint scent of more advanced machinery and then he realized that the Techmarine in charge decided that all should be given basic knowledge.

"Do you want to make a speach to greet them?" Valdor asked over the vox.

"I suppose I can," Harry said and then walked towards the Aspirants. "Welcome to Camp Morkai, your home for next few months. You all have been chosen because you represent potential to be something more than humans can normally achieve. There will be a lot of suffering and pain involved, but when it is done you will be above and beyond what a human can be." He paused for a moment and let silence reign for few precious moments before smiling and looking at them. "You can of course don't want to participate, but we're on the southern pole and nearest human settlement is away and there is no food elsewhere..."

He smiled to himself and then looked at a few grizzled Space Marines veterans that walked towards him, one was an Imperial Fist Sergeant, two were Space Wolves Long Fangs and the last one was a Raven Guard Sergeant.

"Those four are the ones that will train you and you will listen to them," Harry said after a moment. "They will train you, help you and guide you, but don't expect any coddling or preferential treatment. They trained dozens of recruits before you, so they know their craft and will be expecting that you do as well as previous recruits did. If you utilize the full potential there is inside of you, you can become Space Marines."

As the Sergeants passed him Harry turned around and approached Lukas who was holding a tankard of ale and sitting next to another. "Good job, Harry," Lukas said, handing him a tankard.

Harry smiled and pulled the helmet of his head before sipping the ale. "So, how did I do?" he asked as he looked at one of his fellow Wolf Guard.

Lukas smiled and sniffed the air. "Considering that I can smell piss from here," he said and bared his fangs in a wolf-like smile. "You did well at scaring them."

Harry laughed at this and sipped more of the ale. "I didn't try that hard," he said and shrugged. "I just copied what I saw from Russ and Ragnar."

Lukas chuckled and shook his head. "Harry, you are young and inexperienced, but those two are one of the best leaders of the Legion. And they know how to get to the men and get the reaction they want." Lukas paused and gave Harry a careful look. "You wanted them scared and you achieved it."

"More like intimidated," Harry said and frowned. "But I guess I got them scared, which isn't bad."

"No, it is not. We want them obedient and fear can get that reaction from men. Just needs to be carefully used."

Harry nodded and slowly sipped beer as he watched the Sergeants sort the Aspirants into their teams, around of twenty people per one. Which was a pretty large unit, but most likely five out of each would die during training, leaving fifteen men strong teams. Which was far more manageable for normal teams, as even Codex Astartes ones were ten men large.

o-0-o

At the same time Valdor stood in an improvised command center and frowned looking at the projection of Earth. He was a strategist and a spymaster for the Emperor, but even he frowned as he tried to understand the mess called Earth. "Too many states," he murmured and then paused. "We need to get data, but it will be a pain."

"What about striking at some less developed places?" Sharrowkyn asked as he entered the room. "That way the Scouts can get the idea of security they can meet and get some data we want. And it should be safer and easier than dropping on some global powers."

"I agree it will be safer," Valdor said and then grimaced. "But the issue is, small fishes usually don't have good data. And I hate being unable to know what is going on."

Sharrowkyn smiled and patted affectionately his rifle. "What about giving it a try?" he asked and then smiled. "I can take some scouts with me and drop with them into the capital of some state or some other place and look for data while second team gathers Aspirants."

"Your fame is quite legendary," Valdor said and smiled faintly. "You're the only sharpshooter that managed to score a hit on a Primarch. Even a Vindicare failed. So I will trust you and you can choose whoever you want for your mission."

Sharrowkyn nodded and looked at the projection. "I think I have an idea where to look for data," he finally said and then gazed at Valdor. "What I will need though is some tech adept to enter computer network."

"That I can get you."

o-0-o

Lewis shuddered as he looked at the Marines, they were massive and giants compared to normal humans, easily standing at above eight feet tall and covered in armor that looked more like that of a tank than one a human could wear. And there was some kind of an aura that made them be even more dangerous and scary, for Lewis it felt as if they knew they were dangerous and lethal and appreciated that.

"Allright whelps," one of them growled, revealing his wolf-like fangs. "We are here to train you and you will listen to us or you will feel the consequences. We killed things that would haunt you for ages in your dreams and we can kill it again if we need to. First thing, divide yourself into four teams of some twenty each."

Lewis looked around unsure, none of the people around him, nor him willing to move.

"I didn't ask you!" one of the Marines growled, his voice rough and threatening. "That was a fucking order! Do it now!"

At this and the more threatening posture of the Marines all of them jumped up and quickly moved into teams. The cold around them motivating them even more to move and keep themselves warm.

"Since you somewhat can obey our commands," one of the Marines said with a sneer. "Behind you are your barracks and clothes. You have ten minutes to get back here."

o-0-o

Corax looked at Cawl and then at a suit of armor stored in one of the massive cargo holds of Cawl's Arc Mechanicus. "Explain to me for whom did you make it?" Corax asked, completely relaxed and uncaring. Yet behind him stood a pair of Hellblasters with their plasma weapons ready to use.

"Lord Guilliman asked me to prepare this armor," Cawl explained. "In case he was wounded or killed by one of his traitor brothers."

"Interesting," Corax said and then approached the armor. "I have seen some of the artifacts made by father and I know well when someone plays with things they shouldn't play with." He then turned to look at Cawl. "If not for the usefulness of bringing back Roboute, I would have killed you. Here and now. So give me a very good reason not to kill you and find a more suitable replacement."

"Because I'm the only one that can make more of the Primaris Marines," Cawl said, his mechadendrites becoming more agitated.

"That is true," Corax agreed and then tilted his head. "But you forgot about one more person."

"Yes," Russ said stepping from the shadows, a pair of Einherjar behind their lord. "You are too precious to kill, but secrets are what drove Horus to rebel and now I won't allow it to happen again. Not now and not in the future." He then paused and smiled. "Brother dear," he said, looking at Corax. "Do you remember a certain sword, one that was flaming when used by a psyker?"

"My Lords, do you mean a sword entrusted to me by Lord Guiliman?" Cawl asked as he reached to one of crates and opened it, revealing a massive sword.

"Yes, that one," Russ said as he reached for the sword and easily pulled out of the crate. "Sword forged by our father, another one of his weapons."

"Yes," Corax said and then turned to look at Cawl. "Any similar secrets, be kind and reveal them. I have a distaste for being lied to." He then paused and handed Cawl a data slate. "How soon can you get them turned into Marines?"

"Once they finish their basic training," Cawl said quickly.

"Good," Corax said and motioned for the Hellblasters to stand down. "Prepare the labs and start making the gene-seed so that it is ready."

o-0-o

Sharrowkyn leaped down onto the ground and watched the scouts leave the gunship one by one. Once the last of the ten scouts and their Sergeant were on the ground he nodded and looked towards the lone building several hundred meters away.

"Agapito," Sharrowkyn said, addressing the Sergeant. "You will take the building, I will be providing cover and join you if need be. The Techmarine will join us once it is safe."

Agapito nodded and looked at the squad. "Brahe, Tycho, Tarkus, circle around and strike from behind. The rest with me."

Sharrowkyn slipped away and looked around for a high enough vantage point to have a good enough look at the building and the guards around it. He quickly noticed the sentries on the ground and then his eyes narrowed as he looked for a sniper that should be somewhere around. On most imperial planets any communication center had a sniper or two ready to discourage most of the foolish attacks.

"You have twenty guards on the ground," Sharrowkyn muttered into the vox. "And there are four more close to the relays."

"Any snipers?" Agapito asked.

"None of them revealed themselves," Sharrowkyn said and then shifted slightly, positioning himself better on hilltop. "But there should be at least two." He paused and looked through the scope of his rifle. "There are four with something that looks like a heavy stubber."

"Those we can take care of," Agapito said and paused. "Split, Euron, Bran, go left, Corvid, Leo, Theo go right."

o-0-o

Brahe slowly moved through the dense vegetation, his pale skin painted in dark shades of greens and browns making him almost impossible to spot as he moved. He glanced at Tycho, his fellow Scout and the best friend. "Do you see anything watching us?" he whispered in a language of Kiavahr and Deliverance, also combat language of the Raven Guard.

Before Tycho could say anything Tarkus signed for them to fall silent and duck. Brahe was about to ask what, but then he noticed movement ahead of them. He tensed and squinted his eyes, his vision sharpening and he hissed when he noticed a cleverly hidden watchtower and four guards inside.

"Sergeant," Brahe whispered into the vox. "Four sentries ahead. We can circle around or eliminate."

"How long would take you circling around?"

Brahe looked around, trying to see through the jungle around them and then shaking his head. "Too long, the jungle is thick," he said and then added. "We can cut a path, but that will take us time and will be loud."

"Eliminate them in two minutes," Agapito said. "Knives only. Conserve the ammunition and avoid noise."

Brahe nodded and almost immediately in the corner of his vision appeared a counter with numbers slowly moving. He slung his rifle over the back and and pulled out combat knife, a weapon that for humans would be a sword. He glanced at Tycho and Tarkus and they nodded before following him to their target.

"I'll take out the ones closest to the edge," Tarkus murmured. "You can take care of the rest."

Brahe was about to argue, but a quick look from Tycho made him pause and only nod. Then he slowly moved forward, knife in his hand and his eyes focused on the prey so far unaware of their presence. Seconds dragged on as they moved through the jungle, moving without making single sound. Years of their training and constant fighting paying off as they approached the watchtower.

Brahe slowly breathed out and glanced at the counter, there was still some time left and they were at the base of the tower. He glanced at Tycho and Tarkus and then started to climb up its sides, carefully listening to the guards above them. A wooden plank creaked and Brahe immediately stopped, his muscles tensed and beating of his hearts picking up in speed of their beating.

He spent few seconds unmoving and then when he was sure that nobody was watching down, he climbed last few meters and when the counter reached zero he moved. One moment he was hanging in mid-air, next he had his knife buried in the neck of the closest guard and then the ambush was over.

"Done," Brahe whispered into his vox and moved to the edge of the platform. "No sentries we can see from here."

o-0-o

Agapito nodded and then cursed when he heard gunshots to his right, he glanced in that direction and saw Corvid and Leo dash towards guards that opened fire. He then looked ahead and then at the scouts that were with him.

"Fuck stealth," Agapito hissed as a round whizzed past his head. "Just kill them fast."

Roaring noise of bolters silenced the guns used by the humans and Agapito allowed himself a smile when humans scrambled away and ran for cover. It seemed they didn't anticipated getting fired at and expected to scare them away.

Some bullet smashed against his helmet and Agapito felt himself thrown backwards by the sheer force of the strike. He smashed against the ground, just in time to see second smash into the pauldron of Gwyn, blowing it to shreds and tearing a chunk of flesh.

"Nykola, take out that sniper," Agapito hissed, his eyes scanning the roof of the building.

He heard the characteristic sound of the Astartes sniper rifle and then saw a body fall from the roof. With no imminent threat he turned and looked at Gwyn whose shoulder was a bloody mess, but the blood was already clotting and fixing the damage.

"Cover me," Agapito said and handed Gwyn his bolt pistol. "Use this, with one hand rifle will be useless for you."

Gwyn nodded and moved off the ground, staying behind Agapito who ran forward and towards the doors into the building. He slammed against the wall to the side of them and paused, taking this opportunity to get an idea where his squad was. Gwyn was to his side, Rollo crouching behind one of the vehicles nearby and the other five he had on this side were pressed against the wall.

"Brahe," Agapito whispered into the vox. "Forget about stealth and storm the building from behind." He then searched the nearby hills and trees for Sharrowkyn's position. "Nykona, keep an eye on any friends of the defenders."

With that done he opened the door and threw in a smoke grenade before running in and shooting at the defenders that seemed shocked by the speed and ferocity. They were slow and sluggish, failing to score any hits on him and giving him the time he needed to finish them off and let the rest of the squad enter.

Bolters were a deadly weapon even against heavily armored targets, against humans without proper body armor they were horrific and ripped bodies to shreds as Agapito moved forward and carefully fired his rifle. He didn't care much about the building or the enemies, what he cared about though were the devices inside of it and data stored on them.

Behind him came the Scouts, their lack of experience showing in less restrained firing, but he was only able to spot it thanks to over five centuries of combat experience and from knowing each and every of them from the training sessions. Yet their lack of experience was only noticeable when fighting against more nasty and dangerous enemies than those poor excuses of humans.

o-0-o

At the same time Harry put on his helmet and wrapping himself in a pelt of a wolf he slew so many years ago during his trials walked out of the mess hall and into the frosty wind of the Arctic. He could feel it slam against him and he only smiled at it. Cold, snow and ice were the conditions in which he thrived, the armor in addition to his normal resistance to cold provided a layer of insulation not many things had.

"Wolf Guard, can we speak?" someone said behind him and Harry almost immediately tensed, his hand twitching and wanting to grasp his axe.

"Yes?" he asked, slowly turning and facing Captain Shrike, one of the Captains of the Raven Guard. "How can I help you, Captain?"

"I spoke with my lord and father," Shrike said, his face hidden behind his matte black helmet. "And he asked me to ask you a single question. Do you come from Terra from this time period?"

Harry tensed at this as his mind kicked into overdrive trying to figure out what Shrike wanted and how did he know it. He then closed his eyes and forced himself to breath slowly and keep hearts beating evenly. "Yes, I do come from this time," he finally said.

"Good," Shrike said and then motioned towards the training grounds where the Aspirants trained. "Walk with me as there are several more matters I would like to discuss with you."

"Of course, captain," Harry said and then chuckled. "You could have been less subtle, after all a Captain outranks a Wolf Guard."

Shrike nodded his head in agreement, but then added. "Normally, while you are a Wolf Guard of the Lord Russ himself me trying to use the seniority of my rank would be foolish. After all, if Lord Russ orders you to carry out something, I can't get in the way."

Harry allowed himself a smile and pulled the helmet of his head before giving Shrike a cool look. "What are the matters you want to discuss with me?"

"Ones that are to remain a secret for the foreseeable future," Shrike said and Harry nodded with a shrug, Wolf Guard was used to such things. "One, Captain-General would like to speak with you, Lord Russ and Lord Corax about this place and time."

"Probably about the Emperor," Harry said and then frowned. "He should be alive by now for few millenia and probably some fools want to break every rule we have about dealing with time paradoxes."

"What do you mean?"

Harry paused and turned to look at the confused Captain. "When I was seconded to the Grey Knights, one of the things I was taught about was the Warp and how unpredictable it can get. With it came the knowledge about the paradoxes that often happen. And one of the rules is don't interfere with the time-line, even if you think you can change it for the better." Harry's lips quirked into a smile. "We already fucked up that one, but we can limit how much we interfere as no matter what we do the people will see Deliverance. And the activities of the Scouts on the planet are also hard to hide in the long run, but we need them to get back to our times."

"What about contacting the Emperor?" Shrike asked. "If he is as powerful as he should be, he should be capable of helping us."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "No, as I said, no interfering with the time and events. And with him knowing the nastiness of our times and what he became and what the Imperium became." Harry shrugged and looked at the Aspirants running laps across the icy training ground. "We don't know what he would do. He could kill just or kill himself or do something equally bad. All of them are a possibility."

"I will accept that explanation," Shrike muttered and Harry nodded. "There is also a matter of who should command those Marines when we come back to our time and Lord Corax suggested you."

"When the time comes, yes," Harry said and then shook his head. "But now, now I feel something calling me north. Something I need to investigate alone and undisturbed."

Shrike nodded, yet Harry could smell his unease and doubts, hidden so well, yet still visible. "Very well, young wolf," he finally said.

o-0-o

Brahe crept silently between dozens of relays and antennas scattered behind the building they were storming and listened carefully to his environment. He knew there were some sentries he needed to kill, he just didn't know where they were. He paused for a second and listened to his environment. The noises of the forests, the breathing of his brothers, the wind and the roaring noise of the bolters in the distance.

He pushed all of them away and instead focused on the noises he sought, those of the humans that were somewhere around him and were his target. He smiled when heard one of them move and reached for his combat knife before moving after him. Brahe was like an apex predator, he moved confidently, yet not making a single sound.

He circled around the concrete base of one of the relays and tensed as his targets appeared in front of him. Then in a single move he was behind the human, blade of the combat knife glinting in the faint light of the moon and the stars. The next moment it pierced the skin and was buried to the hilt in the chest of the human. Brahe twisted it in the wound and ensured that the spine was cut before pulling it out, droplets of blood running down the hilt and onto his hand.

"Sentry eliminated," he whispered into the vox.

Before he could heard anything someone spotted him and a hail of gunfire raked across the breastplate of his armor. He ducked and rolled towards nearest piece of cover. With a single move of his hand the targeting and optical array slipped onto his eyes and he could clearly see the enemies that fired at him.

"Tycho, Tarkus," Brahe muttered into the vox, hiding behind a piece of concrete and reaching for his frag grenades. "Do you see the enemies?"

"Yes," Tycho responded after a second. "We will try to move and flank them."

Brahe nodded and primed the grenade before tossing it towards the biggest cluster of humans, there was over fifty of them and normally the numbers wouldn't be an issue for a squad of Scouts. But here the whole squad was scattered across a large area and couldn't focus their attention in one place.

He hurled the grenade and used the explosions as a distraction to get closer and then opened fire. The grenade killed and wounded some, but more importantly it confused them, a thing that made Brahe smile as he gunned down the rest.

o-0-o

Agapito cussed as he slammed his knife into a human that ran past him and then fired his bolt rifle before looking at Gwyn and Rollo who took out the last one. "I'll keep them busy," Agapito said and reloaded his rifle and winced when he noticed it was the last magazine. "You two run inside and clean the building."

They nodded and ran deeper, letting him hold the main door. He already took some hits, but the power armor was holding and the only effect was scratched paint and few of dents. Things that a Techmarine could easily fix. He peered into the darkness outside and winced when he saw several tanks move close to the building.

"Hunter, take them out," he muttered into the vox, signal boosted to the maximum by the systems of his armor. _And a cut_

o-0-o

 **A/N – So, yes last chapter was a bit odd, intentionally even.**

 **Reviews:**

 _Redbarchetta28 –_ how to say it, Hogwarts won't show up for some time as poking psykers and their communities isn't on top of their list of priorities and they want to first get an idea of what is going on and rest and resupply first. Remember, last few months for them was a constant war without much of a period to say stop, time to rearm, resupply and take care of our gear. Even if they are Marines and adore warfare, they still need that time.

Especially after the hell of Baal, they barely fought off a whole Hive Fleet and losses were horrendous. Grimnar took there almost the whole chapter and the Blood Angels had over 120 companies with all of their gear deployed. None of those is above 70% of their initial manpower and in some cases it is even worse.

Even if Russ wants to head into a fight, Corax and Valdor and even Cawl will bash his head into a wall until he listens and acknowledges the fact that they need to first address more pressing issue. Corax said a greater daemon of the bird being somewhere on the planet and none of them want to fight it with their chapters being as mauled as they are.

 _Ataxius_ – for a moment he will be, simply because he needs knowledge and experience and probably should get a bit more savvy before jumping into politics of the Imperium.

 _Frankieu_ – yes and no, he is *censored* so he has some troubles noticing Warp events and second Deliverance is a fortress so it has as many protections as humanly possible.

 _OBSERVER01_ – possibly, possibly, time is after all a fluid thing in the Warp

 _DragonForce_ – No! They report to him and they fuck up their whole time line and can't predict what will happen and how it will impact the future.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N – And another chapter is written, short one, but the end might make you wonder if there won't be some serious fighting between two factions. Two factions notorious for being autonomous and listening and interpretating orders the way that suited them.**

 **o-0-o**

Sharrowkyn fired his sniper rifle and winced when it once again kicked against the shoulder plate of his armor. The stubbornness of the humans was an admirable trait, but a touch annoying. Nykona fired the last round in this magazine, made the rifle eject it and then reached for another.

As his hand slipped into a pouch on his belt his eyes widened as he found only one more magazine. He slowly loaded his rifle and then looked for worthy targets. Wasting it on some chaff would be a thing he couldn't afford. He scanned the approach to the building and then smiled when a couple of light vehicles with heavy stubbers mounted moved into view.

He aimed carefully and pressed the trigger before smiling when the weapon kicked against his shoulder and the head of the lead driver exploded in a shower of blood, bones shards and brain matter.

Reloading the rifle, Nykona watched the vehicles crash and disappear into a ball of tangled metal, fire and limbs. It went far better than he hoped, as the second driver didn't have a chance to react and adjust to the death of the lead one.

o-0-o

Agapito looked towards the sky and allowed himself a smile when a Thunderhawk emerged from the darkness, its wings heavy with the ordnance and its targeting systems already focused on the tanks. A beam of scarlet light broke through the darkness and the lead tank disappeared in a flash of an explosion.

"They were instructed not to use lasers," Agapito said with distaste as he shook his head and then gunned down one more human that ran at him. "Brahe, what's your status?"

"We're pushing forward," the Scout responded and Agapito nodded. "They seem to be running out of thugs."

"At least that's good," Agapito said as he stopped a human that tried to sneak past him and then hurled a grenade in the direction of a cluster he saw in the distance. "Don't leave anybody alive and be careful with your ammunition."

o-0-o

Harry stripped out of his armor and looked at the plates of plasteel and ceramite neatly arranged on the ice floor of the small room he claimed inside of the training camp. He looked at them and then at his black mesh underclothes with Black Carapace ports standing out from the material. He gazed at himself for few brief moments before turning to look at the Reiver armor and a single Tech Marine that stood near it.

"Will it hide my presence?" Harry asked, approaching the armor. "It looks slimmer and different than normal."

"Nothing will fully hide you," the Techmarine said and then added. "But this piece of armor should provide you with as much stealth as Mechanicum can manage. You make no noise, your thermal signature is reduced and the paint we used helps you blend in with the environment."

"What's the catch?" Harry asked and approached the armor. "I used an armor made by the Artisans of the Fabricator-General himself and all of the changes came with a price."

"The power source won't be able to power a heavy weapon." The Techmarine shifted and Harry smiled wolfishly at him. "Normal Reivers can, but for this we were forced to remove it. Without, your backpack would be extremely visible."

"Can it power my axe?" Harry asked and then paused, looking at his massive weapon. "Can it power a normal power weapon?"

"Your axe, no. The dimensions and strength of the power field are of the Terminator weapon, not of a normal one. However a sword or an axe that's standard issue, yes."

Harry hummed and then snapped his fingers. "Help me put it on. Once inside I can adapt it to my tastes."

The Techmarine nodded and Harry slipped into the armor more easily than he thought and it fit his form smoothly. A thing he didn't expect from such a design. Yet all the plates were in perfect places and nothing was limiting his movement.

"This is good," he said twisting his hands and testing the joints. "It doesn't give me the same protection as that Wolf Guard armor, but other than that it is perfect."

"You can use your helmet," the Techmarine said, handing him a wolf-head helmet. "Actually, for your mission it will be better. You have custom optics and audio systems, right?"

"Yes," Harry said, putting on the helmet. "Another gift from the Mechanicus of Mars, much better quality and more resistant."

"You are truly blessed by the Omnissiah," the Techmarine muttered, his servo arms moving and then he once again became serious. "The next thing is how you'll get to that island. Usual Thunderhawk insertion is out of question. There are too many radars scanning the air and stealth variant is in a limited supply."

"That's problematic," Harry frowned and then smirked. "I could requisition one from the Deliverance to be flown here."

"You could," the Techmarine nodded in agreement. "But, that would tell everybody where to look for us."

"Which leaves Warp craft and sorcery," Harry said thoughtfully. "A Gate of Infinity would do. Assuming there would be a way to anchor it in Britain." Seeing confusion he added impatiently. "The way that island is called. During Heresy time they called it Alba."

"It is one of the options," the Techmarine said and smiled making Harry twitch in annoyance. "The Stormwolves of your chapter can swim underwater. It was never tested extensively, but it feasible and it should work."

"And if it dives deep enough it should avoid detection," Harry mused aloud. "Not a bad thing all things considered. And I'll be able to take more gear with me. Probably even more than I could take otherwise."

The Techmarine nodded and walked away, leaving Harry alone with his gear and musings. The circumstances of this whole thing were interesting and he wasn't sure, nor had any hints as what to do in the future. The instincts were telling him he was right, yet he had doubts about throwing himself there.

Here, far away from the centers of civilization they were pretty much invisible to the world at large and didn't need to pay much attention to what they were doing. If he went to Britain, his old home, some part of his mind whispered, moving undetected would be much, much harder and more troublesome. Gear and weapons of Astartes were far from subtle or silent, Harry mused as he mindlessly reached for a bolter and started to disassemble it. They were loud, scary and deadly, but not silent.

He assembled the bolter, checked that it worked and nodded to himself before reaching for a power sword he had nearby. Sliding the sword into a scabbard on his back and the bolter into one at his hip he walked out of the room.

Snow and ice crunched under his feet as he walked. He passed through the training fields and towards the gunships waiting close to the shore. He walked aboard the Stormwolf and checked his supplies before nodding to himself and opening one of the crates. Inside of it were dozens of the sickle-shaped magazines, each holding thirty rounds for a standard bolter.

He grabbed a couple and then rummaged through one with the grenades before nodding and sitting down in one of seats and activating his vox. "I'm ready, let's go for a swim."

"Of course, my lord," one of the Grey Hunters said with a laugh.

o-0-o

Nykona shook his head as he looked at the burning compound and at the Techmarine that rummaged through it. "This was a mistake," he said and looked at Agapito. "It was supposed to be stealthy mission, not an all out battle."

"They spotted us," Agapito said, diverting his eyes from Sharrowkyn. "And knew we were coming." He jerked his hand towards the smoking wrecks of tanks. "Those things in jungle don't move fast..."

"Fuck!" Sharrowkyn cussed and then nodded. "So they were close or they had some warning."

"Both are probable," Agapito said and paused. "Next mission we will do either in Reiver armor or only scouts. And probably drop several kilometers away from the target."

Sharrowkyn nodded and then pulled out his pistol and fired at one of the still alive humans. "Make sure there is nobody alive when we leave," he said and sighed. "We are protectors of humanity, but now we need to kill them."

"Secrecy is our shield," Agapito murmured, his eyes slipping over the dead. "Secrecy and fear."

Sharrowkyn only nodded, his head slowly moving in an affirming nod.

o-0-o

The helmet was put on and the space in front of Harry's eyes exploded in data. Then the seals activated and he gasped as the internal systems turned on, recycling the air. He grabbed his gear and walked to the front of the hull.

His fist slammed into the rune and the assault ramp opened. Water gushed in and filled the bay. When the ramp lowered Harry walked out, gear strapped to his armor and jumped off the ramp. He glanced around, thermal sensors of the helmet activating and letting him see through the murky, dark water around him.

"Thank you for the ride," he muttered into the vox and then started to swim up. His legs augmented by the servomotors of his armor pushing him towards the surface. "I'll use fleet's vox when wanting ride back home."

With those words the comfortable silence fell as he moved towards the surface. Then with a final push he broke the surface of the sea. He was several dozen meters away from the shore, a thin dark line ahead of him. Stars and moon providing almost no light.

Harry checked positions of the stars and then his gaze darted to the chronometer slowly counting in the edge of his vision. Content that he had few more hours of darkness he started to swim towards the shore. Swimming wasn't a normal thing for Marines, but it was a part of their training and the servomotors of their armors made it much easier and simpler.

With one, last, powerful stroke he pushed himself to the shore and started to walk away from the water. Liquid dripping from his armored form in long streaks, pouring out from between plates and from under them.

"Finally, fresh air," he said as he unlocked the seals and pulled the helmet of his head. His wild hair whipping behind him like a mane. He breathed in deeply, savoring the hundreds of smells coming from all around. "Now, where is the Warp sorcery?"

He paused for a moment, then hair on the back of his neck raising. The threat or danger was close, hidden, but still there. He carefully pulled his sword out of the scabbard. It wasn't his usual weapon, but felt familiar enough.

A single press of finger against the rune and the power field flickered alive. The quiet humm of the power field was comforting and familiar.

The rain started to fall. Droplets of water splashed against the energy. Sizzling as they disappeared out of existence. Harry muted that sound out and then looked around. The stillness and lack of sounds of any animal moving in the forests was worrying.

"Where are you?" Harry asked in a murmur. "I'm angry and tired and want to kill you."

As if answering his question the trees exploded as something charged out. It was large, covered in black and gray skin. A massive club in its hands. It's mouth a gaping hole full of fangs. A crudely drawn, bloody eight-pointed star on its forehead.

"What the fuck is that?!" Harry yelled as he rolled out of the way of the beast.

In the next moment his sword shot out and it severed the leg at the knee. A roar of challenge turned into that of surprise and pain. Then he walked to the still struggling creature and drove the sword through its neck.

"I'm for less than ten minutes here," he said and shook his head. "And I'm faced with a servant of the Ruinous Powers." He put the helmet back on and locked it in place.

He chuckled at this and then looked around. His eyes slowly moving as the sensors of the helmet fed him data. He was used to processing staggering amounts of information efficiently, but he felt a bit overwhelmed as his psychic senses were assaulted by wave after wave of Warp energy.

"What in the name of the Emperor is going on here?" Harry asked as he crept forward.

He crossed the line of trees and entered the forest. First he saw nothing. The darkness so overwhelming that even the systems of his helmet couldn't see through it. Then his eyes flashed cerulean blue and banished the magic.

Yet he wished he didn't banish it. A large clearing was in front of him. A pack of trolls there and with them a human in robes from human skin covered in paintings in blood. He stood by a bloodied stone, an obsidian knife and a staff in his hands.

"Chaos," Harry spat out. "Your very existence is an insult to the universe."

Adrenaline started to pump through his body and a roar broke out of his throat. Enhanced by the speakers of his armor to the defeaning levels. He bounded across the open land between him and the trolls. Before the first knew he was upon it, his sword severed the head from the rest of the body.

In the next move he pulled his combat knife from its scabbard at his belt and hurled at the sorcerer. The blade shone in the light and then struck the target. No human could survive such a hit. Insane superhuman strength of a Space Marine aided by his armor hurling a knife that was more of a sword.

The skin parted. The bone fractured and the brain matter exploded like a ripe fruit. The body, standing for few, brief seconds collapsed like a doll without its strings.

Harry moved out of the way of one troll and smashed his feet into the groin of another. It didn't kill it, but knocked back and gave him room. He swung the sword and severed the arm and head of one troll from the rest of its body. Then he whirled and with a simple gesture sent a pillar of kinetic energy at next.

After something that felt like an eternity he slit open the chest of the final troll. His whole body bathed in their foul, black blood. He flickered on the blade the energy evaporating gore and then slid it into the scabbard on his back.

He looked around and grimaced. If someone stumbled upon those bodies they would wonder how did it happen. The cuts were perfect, straight and even. Bones split without any cracking. The flesh charred and wounds cauterized. The sorcerer's head struck by something beyond human levels. "I got carried away," Harry said and then unlocked the helmet and attached to his belt.

He sniffed the air and smelled human piss and fear. It was close. He looked around and found a cage, hanged on one of the trees. Inside of it ten male teens. "First troll, then a horde of them and now them," he said and shook his head.

He could tell that the kids were scared. He smiled faintly at the comparison, he was not that much older, yet did so much more. He found the chain that kept the cage in place and then gently lowered it to the ground.

"Stay silent," he said, lacing his voice with his powers.

He then smashed his sword against the lock and opened the cage. He let them come out and then whispered. "Sleep." All of them dropped onto the ground.

Harry looked at them and then tapped his vox bead. "We have a problem," he whispered. "I have some Aspirants and a lot of potential troubles. Requesting a squad of Scouts and a Thunderhawk."

"We will need time to avoid detection."

"Understood, but hurry," Harry said. "The amount of blood and corpses will get attention, sooner or later." He paused and then forced his implants and armor to give him a map of the area. "There is a cave, five kilometers away from here. I'll carry the Aspirants there and wait for you."

o-0-o

Sharrowkyn frowned as he listened to the request. "Why of all things does he want Scouts?"

"Because they can still pass for a human and are silent," Valdor said and then shook his head slightly. "But it doesn't make much sense. If the troubles are as big as the feed from his armor suggests Marines would be better."

"Unless he believes secrecy is more important and thus wants to take out troubles stealthy."

"Your Primarch's teachings make sense here," Valdor said and then glanced outside of the tent they were in. "Especially here and now. Nobody can know we're here and anybody that knows it needs to be eliminated. The risk of alternating the future, for worse or better is too big."

Sharrowkyn nodded and studied the message for a second before nodding. "I have a squad in mind that will suit his needs."

o-0-o

The Deliverance was a maze of corridors, chambers, mineshafts and dozens other artificial and natural constructs. Some were forgotten by the Raven Guard, some fell into obscurity due to earthquakes and shifting tectonic plates. Finally the vast majority was of such little importance that nobody bothered to check them, up until now.

Several thousand more Space Marines and even more Tech-Priests, their thralls, servitors and automata needed more room than the relatively small chapter of the Raven Guard ever required. There was also a matter of cleansing them from the xeno filth known as the orks or the greenskins.

Lukas the Trickster roared as his claw slashed through the arm of an ork. Then he kicked the bleeding beast backwards and shot the next in the head. Dodging under the swing of a choppa he stepped to the side and let Ragnar drive his sword into the ork.

Laughing like a madman he sheared off the head of a gretchin from its torso and then hurled it at another. Before moving out of the way of the Long Fangs that finally managed to bring forth their flamers. Extremely flammable promethium gelly was spat out and ignited. Bathing the tight corridor in an orange and red dance of fires as the orks burned.

"This is better than the caves of Fenris," Lukas laughed as he shot a still alive ork. "At least they fight like some worthy opponents and not like chaos possessed lunatics."

"Don't underestimate the enemy," Ulrik the Slayer said as his mace flashed and smashed into an ork that tried to leap at them. "No matter the size, the enemy is the enemy and needs to be killed."

"Why are we even clearing those corridors?" Ragnar asked. "There is nothing useful here, just the orks."

Ulrik didn't say anything, instead he pressed on. The heavy mace in his hand rising and falling. Smashing orks and killing them as if they weren't even a threat for him. He moved forward, the rest of the Wolves following him and killing what was left alive in his wake.

o-0-o

At the same time, elsewhere Corax faced Cawl in latter's laboratory. "I respect the work you had done on the Primaris Project and the armor to revive my brother," Corax said and then approached the ancient Magos. "But there are some things that you need to know. When my father, the Emperor, designed us, the Primarchs and our sons, Space Marines, we were designed to be specialized in a single field. To be the best of the best and their mutation aided with it."

"My Lord Primarch," Cawl said, his mechanical unnerving Corax, reminding him of Kelbor-Hal. "I don't see the point you're trying to make."

Corax shook his head and stalked away from Cawl. Instead he turned towards the tanks holding gene-seeds in nutrient rich liquids. "The gene-seeds you developed are perfect, too perfect. You made them ideal copies of each other and of me and my brothers. The little quirks of the genetic mutation that happened over time and in the Warp made the already formidable Marines even more."

"Are you suggesting that I should destroy my work with the taint of the Warp?" Cawl asked, the false plesantness gone from his voice. "Do you think I would be willing to destroy the genome of the Omnissiah with the corruption?"

Corax snorted in amusement and looked at Cawl. "No, I'm not insane, Magos," he said quietly. "What I'm implying is that I want you to tune down the undesirable traits, while expanding on the desired ones." He then smiled thinly. "How is going your research into the gene-seed of my fallen brothers?"

"I don't know what are you talking..."

The Cawl was unable to finish as Corax lunged at the Magos. Hurled him at the wall and pinned there. Strength of Corax's godlike body and the armor overpowering the struggling Magos. The sparks flying as the mechanical limbs gave up under the stress. Even if they were made from the hardest alloys known to Mechanicum, not much could survive the fury of a Primarch.

"Don't like to me," Corax hissed. "I'm not a fool you think I am. My Techmarines hacked your databank and found every scrap of data about the genetic research you conducted. I know you had experimented with the DNA of my fallen brothers... And cut, I'm mean, get used to it. Continuation in the next chapter.

 **o-0-o**

 **A/N – Yes, Cawl can make the gene-seed for any Legion. The question is, will Corax allow him to or the ancient Magos will be forced to scrap the research. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, both for now and the future.**

 **Reviews:**

 _DragonForce –_ Warp, that thing behaves the way it wants or a sufficiently strong psyker wants. They have an insane amount of strong psykers with them that with a bit of coaxing might make the Warp hurl them back in time. It won't be nice, it won't be pleasant and it will invite hordes of demons, but it will work.

Speaking about psykers, almost all of those they have are skilled in predicting the future to a lesser or bigger degree. They can aid in choosing the best, not the safest path, but one that will guide them onto proper course.

Actually there is a whole Ordo of the Inquisition whose sole purpose is dealing with timeline issues and things fucking with it. They don't have that many successes and here the Primarchs will make them cry and sob in the corner, but they're the Inquisition... And the Wolves have grudges with the group.

 _Sparda B-312 –_ he has, all of them. Just now with the more important issues, like, oh a pack of trolls and a bloody sorcerer wanting him dead he kinda forgot about them. Forging new weapons out of them might soon be an important thing for him. Why? [REDACTED] *laughs* I won't reveal funny bits, at least not easily.


End file.
